


S-Rank

by Reily96



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Awkward Romance, Canon Compliant, Crush at First Sight, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Hoshido | Birthright Route, Love, One-Sided Attraction, Romance, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, You can't pay me to write chapter scenes, everything takes place in between here, honest to goodness love, i mean as slow as it can be for fifteen chapters, one-sided at first anyways
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-22
Updated: 2017-09-21
Packaged: 2018-11-17 12:14:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 38,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11275122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reily96/pseuds/Reily96
Summary: Taking place during the Birthright timeline, this is a story about the S-Rank between Corrin and Saizo, from before to after, and all it entails. From when Corrin first felt her heart skip a beat at the most inappropriate time, to Saizo realizing that a “simpleton” had unwittingly charmed him, and to the risks and worries of child bearing during wartime. Named after a similar comic, but follows a different structure (I just felt the title was fitting).7/31 - RIPPERONI AND CHEESE NOT DEAD I SWEAR, IT'LL GET DONE. THINGS ARE PLANNED I JUST NEED TO SIT DOWN AND BRAIN TO MAKE THE WORDS GO





	1. Love at First Threat

**Author's Note:**

> So this has been stewing in my head for a long time, and I finally decided "FUCK IT I'M JUST GONNA WRITE IT." For the sake of simplicity, I'm sticking with localized names all around, because I refuse to be inconsistent and pick and choose which names remain original Japanese and which I prefer localized (and trust me I have problems with names on both ends).  
> That said, chapter lengths will probably be wildly inconsistent. I usually try to stick to about 5k words a chapter, but because of the way I outlined this... you might have 1.5k chapters like this, or you might have upwards of 7k in some chapters. For that, I apologize. Whatever the case, read on, and I hope you enjoy.

     Hoshido was so unlike the Nohr she had known. Sitting atop a hill on the outskirts of Shirasagi-shiro, she took in the view: it was bright and colorful, the sky littered with vibrant blue and fluffy white as the pink cherry petals flew through the wind. The people were cheerful and bustling, the castle nearby looking as a great protector over them... It was like a dreamscape, with its pegasi and kinshi in the air…

     Though to be perfectly honest, Corrin couldn’t claim that she knew even Nohr that well. With having spent most of her life in the Northern Fortress, the view hadn’t exactly changed at all for her. But a picture had been painted in her mind, of the constant gloom and rain, the gnarled and twisted trees with their black bark… Of the castles and fortresses that cut themselves off from everything, looming threateningly over those who dared to approach them. In all honestly, the whole of Nohr sounded like haunted forests and buildings that children lost themselves in in fairytales.

     Either way, it was clear to her that both had a mystical element to them in their own ways. But right now, even the beauty of the cheerful Hoshido couldn’t take her out of the gloom she had felt. The loss of the mother she had known for only a few days, the mother she could barely remember but so desperately wanted to. Taking walks with her on cherry lined streets as she recalled memories of Corrin’s early childhood; of how she, Ryoma, Hinoka, and Takumi would play Samurai vs Oni in order to protect the fair Princess Sakura, and how sometimes Boss Oni Sumeragi came out of the corners wearing a Hannya mask. This lead to the hazy memories of her father’s death. The pain echoed in her heart, vaguely recalling how she had asked Sumeragi to take her around the city… Guilt clawed at her stomach, and she hugged her knees tightly. It was no wonder Takumi despised her so… Corrin was responsible for the death of _both_ their parents.

     Yet the guilt would not cease, remembering the faces of her _other_ siblings – of her Nohrian family. The betrayal was wrought all over Xander’s expression, in the ferocity of his blows, the anger in his voice. The heartbreak was felt on both ends… Ryoma had to step in to save her due to her inability to raise her blade against that brother that had called her “little princess.” She could only imagine Elise’s tears, Camilla’s silent and pained fury, and Leo’s disgusted face. She had betrayed those that she loved...

 _But I wasn’t wrong…_ She told herself weakly. After all, how could she return to Nohr? It was clear that Garon wanted her dead as much as he had wanted Queen Mikoto dead. The “father” she had so hoped to please was nothing more than a war mongering monster, using his children as pawns to forward his cruelty. But the more Corrin chanted this in her mind, the more determined she felt. _I’m not wrong._

     The voice within her mind did not waver; especially knowing the Yato was on her side.

     The blade by her side was still and heavy, a different mass than a normal sword or that accursed Ganglari. It was heavy with true purpose, with the weight of her resolve.

     With a sigh, Corrin stood. She had moped for far too long, and it was certainly no time to continue to do so. After she brushed herself off, she balled up her fists and nodded to herself. She had never thanked Ryoma properly for defending her against Xander’s assault, and she certainly didn’t want to seem ungrateful. Far from it, she was glad that she had this chance now to truly get to know the siblings that Garon has stolen her from. They could, of course, never replace her Nohrian brothers and sisters… but they were proof that despite all the awfulness, she still had people that cared for her.

     “Are you finished, My Lady?” Jakob’s voice called out from a few feet away.

     She turned and smiled brightly at her retainer, “Yes, yes, sorry for keeping you waiting, Jakob. Thank you for allowing me that moment of solitude.”

     The butler smirked proudly, “But of course, My Lady, I live to serve. Should you ask me to wait, I will do so without complaint.”

     Corrin chuckled, realizing that she really wasn’t as alone as she had first thought in Hoshido. “I’m always glad to know I have your support.”

     “Forever and always, My Lady.” The pride in his voice could not be hidden, and she could only chuckle again.

     Butler in tow, she then made her way back down to civilization, making her way to Castle Shirasagi. As she passed through the town, hushed whispers fell over the recognizable former Nohrian Princess… She felt the knot in her stomach return, hearing whispers of “monster,” “Yato’s Chosen,” and “dragon.” Where there were positive remarks, there were negative remarks, and where there were both, there were a great deal many more unsure. She kept her chin up high, not letting the words get to her. _No more moping._

     The whispers died the closer she came to the Castle, and it didn’t take long for her to find out where Ryoma was once there. A simple asking around of the guards told her that Ryoma had just finished meeting with several Hoshidan generals, and that he would be going to training grounds to consult certain members of the army concerning a mission. Corrin made a beeline straight to the training grounds, already knowing that Ryoma was there from hearing the echo of her brother’s voice around the corner from the open doors. She had expected nothing to block her approach through the gate…

     So it had been more than startling when someone suddenly appeared right before her. Corrin had jumped back ever so slightly, as she had almost walked into a wall she hadn’t seen. Jakob put a steadying hand upon her shoulder and glared at the would-be roadblock. “It is customary in Hoshido to block the path of a Lady?” He spat.

     But Corrin just felt her face redden, as she quietly said, “No, it’s… it’s fine, Jakob…” Anxiously, she tilted her head upward to meet the one eyed glare of Saizo, Ryoma’s ninja retainer.

     “I heard you had business with Lord Ryoma. What do you want?” The ninja’s voice was terse, obviously suspicious. If he had heard Jakob at all, he had chosen to ignore him in favor of what he had considered the greater threat. Who knows how he had heard she was looking for Ryoma, but he _was_ a ninja. It wasn’t a stretch to think he had some way of quickly gathering information, especially concerning those he didn’t trust.

     “I… I just wanted to speak to my brother.”

     “Obviously.” There was no hidden irritation here; all of it had been condensed into that one word. “About?”

     She had finally found her voice properly, and with a furrowed brow stated, “I never thanked him properly for saving me the other day.”

     The ninja continued to glare at her, as if trying to detect deception. Corrin felt the heat rise in her cheeks, remembering the very first glare he had aimed at her.

_“You’re the leader of these troops? Pah, you’re nothing more than a little girl.”_

_Corrin flushed angrily at the sudden appearance of a new foe and his comment on her height. This scary fellow with the scar over his right eye and the blades on his bracers… Intimidating, but she would not be rattled. After all, she looked more of an adult than Elise, at least, and Xander had acknowledged her as capable! Who was this Hoshidan stranger to determine her worth as a commander? Indignantly, she stomped a foot down as she demanded more than asked, “Who are you?”_

_“My name is Saizo,” his stance changed, his aim clearly hostile and perturbed by her outburst. “I’ve come to claim your life.”_

_In that moment, her heart skipped a beat. The surprised and cross flush she had before deepened – or at least she felt like it had. It was a strange thrill that surged through her body upon hearing the finality of the man’s words. He was going to kill her. The fear she felt was obvious in the way her own stance shifted from determined and angry to awkward and unsure. But the anxiety she felt, however, was not representative of a fear death. The shiver down her spine had nested someplace uncomfortable and unfamiliar. The determination in the man’s voice, the absolute certainty that he believed he spoke the truth made her heart thump twice as hard as it would have been if she had just been frightened._

_“H-hey!” She had called out shakily, for some reason her gaze unable to tear away from the deadly glint within Saizo’s one eye. She didn’t understand what she was feeling, but the rational part of her brain put her voice to action, “Everyone, we’re still under attack!”_

 

     To throw her out of her visit to memory lane was a “Tch,” from Saizo, who proceeded to disappear as quickly as he first arrived. Corrin let out a breath she hadn’t realized she had held, and Jakob moved to her side, looking around to see if he could locate the ninja. “Dare I say, these Hoshidan ninja can be quite the boorish type. Should he ever insult you again, My Lady, I would be happy to-”

     “Ah, no, it’s really all right, Jakob!” She quickly interjected. “It’s really not necessary, he’s simply doing his job just as you’re doing yours. Had Ryoma just appeared at our doorstep in the Northern Fortress claiming peace, I’m sure you would be just as cautious towards him.” Jakob didn’t seem too pleased at the comparison of himself to the brash ninja, but did not argue the point. At the very least, the conflicted look on the butler’s expression gave her the feeling that he acknowledged the truth of her words to some degree.

     Yet she sighed, disturbed at herself for getting flustered so easily when Saizo had suddenly appeared before her. The recollection she had of their first meeting was even more humiliating to recall. “Jakob…”

     “Yes, My Lady?”

     “… Am I… am I weird?”

     The butler looked down to his lady, confusion etched in his face. “Of course you aren’t, Lady Corrin. Whatever prompted such an outrageous question?”

 _Infatuation at first sight to a man who threatened to kill you and would have carried it out happily had he not been outnumbered seems a bit odd to me…_ But she couldn’t tell Jakob that, gods no. With a careless smile, Corrin continued on through the gate to find her brother, “Oh never mind, thank you, Jakob!”


	2. C-Rank

     Since she had begun her permanent stay in Hoshido following her mother’s death, Corrin found herself visiting the small shrine dedicated to Inari in the afternoons within Shirasagi’s walls. It wasn’t nearly as famous as the larger Dawn Dragon shrine accessible to both royalty and commoner, but that was partly why Corrin enjoyed the smaller one so. It was out of the way, a place for servants to make quick wishes at the small offering box just as unkempt as the rest of it. Azura had told her about this place, saying it was a nice place if one wanted some spiritual guidance without the fuss of other people.

     While Corrin couldn’t claim she had been looking for spiritual guidance, the small little area did ease her mind when she was looking to be alone. And that afternoon, she certainly had been. She had even sent Jakob off to help Takumi train.

     She threw a couple of gold pieces into the offering box and clapped her hands in front of the shrine just as Mother and Sakura had taught her to. There was no bell to ring here, it was too small, but in her mind she imagined the ringing of a bell. All that was left, was to make her wish to the god.

 _… I suppose my wish is to find peace._ After all, war had broken out. Ryoma was already making plans to gather support in Izumo, and according to him his plans involved eventually leading an assault in Nohr proper. Corrin knew that such a thing was bound to happen, but in her heart she hoped desperately that Ryoma and Xander could see to reason. If there was one thing she desired, it was that she would lose no more of her loved ones. With her wish relayed to the god, she sighed. _All the pocket change I had might be too little for such a grand wish._ But looking around the shrine one last time, she had decided that perhaps Inari might be more amicable to her request if she scrubbed down the small shrine. She hadn’t the supplies at the moment, but perhaps tomorrow she would come back with a bucket and rag.

      After having decided that was a good plan, she nodded her head to the shrine in reverence and began making her way back to the more populated sectors of Shirasagi. She was relatively sure that a training duo of Takumi and Jakob wouldn’t last long, anyways – not with the tempers that they both held and the mutual dislike they likely felt toward each other.

      Yet a chill came up her spine as she walked, “I… have the strangest feeling I’m not alone…” She whispered to herself. Corrin looked both forwards and behind her, but all she saw behind her was the little beat up shrine a ways away, and forwards all she saw were a couple of maids gossiping as they crossed into a storage area. On one side of her was building, on the other a line of trees. And the more she looked around, the more she felt that the trees might have been the ones watching her. It was an absurd thought, and with a grit of her teeth, she finally decided she couldn’t take it anymore. Looking around cautiously, she asked, “Hello? Is someone there?”

     The answer came a few seconds later after she had made her full 360 degree turn around and saw Saizo under the shade of a tree. Not actually expecting anyone to have shown up, she yelped and nearly tripped over herself. “S-Saizo?!” Her face began to burn, “I… I nearly jumped out of my skin! What are you doing lurking in the shadows?!”

     The ninja emerged into the light, looking as foul tempered as ever. “Hmph. It took you long enough to notice. If this was the battlefield you’d be dead.”

     Unconsciously, she stepped back as he stepped forward. “What?! Why would I be looking over my shoulder in the castle?!” Her back bumped up against the wall and her heart began to pound. He was still a good couple of feet away from her, but he definitely had an aura of menace strong enough to make her feel like she was cornered. And her face continued to heat up, because a part of her in the back of her mind _liked_ the idea of him cornering her. As if to try and will that part of her mind a way, she sputtered out, “W-What were you doing spying on me?!”

     “Keeping a very close eye on you.”

     She had the most eloquent response at the ready. “Whu…?”

     “It wasn't long ago that you lived as royalty of Nohr. How convenient that we should be drawn into your orbit now.” His one good eye narrowed at her, making her feel as if she had shrunken further. “The moment you try anything, I'll be the first to know.”

     Was learning to make the atmosphere bend to your will for intimidation’s sake something they taught ninjas, or was it just a Saizo thing? Corrin wasn’t at all sure given that she had never felt as overwhelmed by Kaze as she had from his brother. But dammit, she wouldn’t shrink down like a cornered rabbit! She took a step forward, making sure that she asserted herself when she said, “Except you won’t, because I’m not going to try anything!” It had sounded better in her head. Now that she said it out loud, she felt as if she were a toddler trying to argue a point with an adult. The way he had forked his eyebrow as if trying to gauge if she was serious emphasized her train of thought. Corrin let out a frustrated sigh and held her hand to her temple exasperatedly. It was stupid and she couldn’t imagine why, but she asked anyways, “My brother didn’t put you up to this, did he?”

     “This has nothing to do with Lord Ryoma. I’m doing this on my own initiative.” Saizo said it quickly and professionally, and she believed it. Perhaps she wasn’t the best judge of character, but the way that Ryoma had welcomed her to Hoshido with open arms when she had first arrived, and his continued support of her after she decided to stay, didn’t seem like the behavior of someone who would have her spied on. But Saizo continued, “Though you may pledge yourself to Hoshido and claim you are willing to fight, I’m not ready to trust you yet.”

     That aura of menace exuded from him again as he spoke, but Corrin did not let herself falter. She would get nowhere with him if she kept cowering before him. _Not that I want to go anywhere with him…_ “I see,” was all she managed to get out, suddenly unable to string proper sentences together at her own conflicting thoughts.

     Perhaps the ninja felt that she hadn’t taken him seriously with that statement. He took a single step forward, his brow furrowed intensely, “If you take even one step out of line, I will act accordingly. Remember that before you get any cute ideas.”

     With a frown, her own brow furrowed. He was suspicious, yes, but now it was beginning to be a bit upsetting. If he was going to be this antagonistic every time they ran into each other, everyday life would be unnecessarily troublesome. “I never intended to! Isn’t there anything I can do to win your trust?”

     “Prove yourself to me.” He said, crossing his arms and keeping his glare focused on her. “I'm keeping thorough surveillance notes on you, you know.” With his arms now crossed, a booklet within one of his hands became noticeable.

     The sight of the booklet made her want to slap her palm over her own face. Instead she dejectedly commented, “Yes, the ‘ _Surveillance Notes – Corrin_ ’ on your notebook suggested as much. Do you... keep books like this on a lot of our soldiers?”

     “That’s classified. All you need to know is that I'm watching you. Always.”

     What was likely meant to be an intimidating statement fell completely flat for Corrin, because she just knew he _did_ have surveillance notes on everyone. But when it did process in her mind, she grimaced.

      “… Even when-”

      “ _Especially_ then.” And with that last sharp reply, he vanished back into the shadows.

      She attempted to reach out and stop him, but the ninja was too quick. “Saizo, w-wait!” Her head darted back and forth as she tried to scan the treeline. Anxiety returned in an uncomfortable knot in her stomach. “Okay, I can't see you, but you're not gone… right? You're still watching? Saizo...?” Always having his eye on her? Was he serious about that? She began to chuckle in her nervousness. _He can’t be serious… I have to at least be able to use the toilet in privacy!_ She had certainly hoped that he’d allow her at least that much privacy! Yet in the back of her mind, the former princess of Nohr had a feeling she would not be granted that luxury. “Gods, this is going to be difficult…”

      If there was one thing she had to admit, it was certainly that Saizo was dedicated to his work. The walk that should have been easy enough now became a trek as Corrin went over all the situations in which she could potentially lose her privacy. The toilet was one thing, but what about bathing? He couldn’t possibly really mean this “watching her at all times” thing. As it was, she couldn’t even tell if he was still stalking her carefully at this very moment. _I could always_ dissuade _him…_ But she didn’t see that happening.

     Unless…

 _I mean… if he’s so insistent on watching me all the time I could always… I guess I could linger when I undress or- NO._ Corrin’s face turned a bright cherry red. What had she been thinking?! Something like that may agitate him to discourage his stalking, but it had a much higher chance of getting a kunai to the throat if such antics counted as a “cute idea.” _Ugh why did that even_ cross _my mind…_ But she sighed, coming to the conclusion that no matter how big and scary Saizo attempted to be to frighten her into betraying any Nohrian secrets she didn't know, that strange attraction she had to him was not leaving.

     But Corrin didn’t have five minutes to herself before someone else suddenly appeared before her.

     Clutching her heart, she gasped, “Good _gods_ , Kaze!”

     The ninja dressed in green smiled apologetically, “I’m sorry, Lady Corrin, force of habit.”

     “You… _ninjas_ … and your… ninja _poofs_!” Clearly all those etiquette lessons Flora and Gunter taught her were coming into good use these days.

     “Ah, let me guess, Saizo approached you?”

     Composure regained, she straightened out her clothes and frowned a bit. “He’s so wary of me, Kaze… I understand that it’s his job to ensure my brother’s safety, but he has a surveillance book on me. He says he’ll always be watching for me to make any slip up. I feel like I may slip up _because_ he’s watching me, however…”

     Kaze closed his eyes, apparently recalling something, and then said, “Well, he has reason to work twice as hard as the average ninja.”

     Corrin looked to Kaze, tilting her head questioningly. “Why is that?”

     It took Kaze a moment, as if considering whether it was right or not to speak of it, and then said, “I don’t see any reason to not tell you, it’s common knowledge to Hoshidan royalty, and you _are_ Hoshidan royalty.” The draconic girl smiled brightly in response, and Kaze gave a small smile back before continuing on, “In our village, Igasato, Saizo is a very important name. It’s passed down from our village leader, to his son, and to his son. My father was Saizo the Fourth; my brother is Saizo the Fifth. It’s a very large name to live up to, and my brother certainly _does_ live up to it – but that also means he has extra responsibility to his duties. He won’t accept anything less than his best.”

     A thoughtful expression was upon Corrin then. “I see… He really is an honorable man, to be so dedicated to his duty.”

     Silence came and went as Kaze considered something else, and then decided to speak of it, “Yes, but… it is not only duty that compels him to do so.” The girl looked at him questioningly, and again he paused. Whatever it was he wanted to say, he didn’t seem as if it was his place to say it. But after shaking his head to himself, he spoke again, “Years ago our father was murdered, and in a rage, Saizo flew off to find his killer in Mokushu. While he succeeded his infiltration into enemy territory, he did not succeed in leaving. He was captured, and when he escaped not only did he lose his eye, he was unable to avenge our father – never having found the man who murdered him.”

     “Oh…”

     “His pride was wounded, and I have no doubts that the scar on his face reminds him of that time. Because of that, I feel that perhaps he feels the need work as possible to make up for his… failure.” Corrin noted the hesitation with which Kaze said that last word, knowing that the ninja felt his older twin was not a failure in the least.

      There was a moment of silence, the previous conversation clearly weighty in the air. Corrin took a breath and then looked to the grand structure of Shirasagi Castle before them. “I think I can understand him a little more now, somewhat…”

     “Lady Corrin?”

     “Well… I thought that King Garon was my father for so long. In reality, it was because of him I lost my true father… and then my mother…” Grimly, she looked to Kaze, a self-conscious hand resting on one of her pointed ears. “You know what happened after that.”

     More silence followed, and it became clear to Corrin that perhaps a change in subject was needed. “Um, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to dampen the mood… Did you need something from me, Kaze?”

     “Oh!” Kaze blinked in surprise, then looked apologetic, “I’m sorry, yes, Lady Azura asked me to come find you; she's waiting in the garden. It seems that she has a request to make of you.”

     With a nod, Corrin smiled, “Thank you, Kaze, I’ll go right away. And if you see Jakob, please let him know where I am.”

     “Of course, Lady Corrin.” With that, he vanished just as quickly as his brother had earlier.

     With a sigh of exasperation, realizing she would likely have to get very used to ninjas just appearing and disappearing, she began to make her way to the garden. She wondered what the songstress wanted from her, but the back of her mind was still considering the commonality that she and Saizo shared. It was something she would never mention; she had the feeling that the last thing Saizo may have wanted was sympathy, especially from her; nor did she want Kaze to have any trouble with his brother either. _But at the very least, it’s nice to know a little more about him._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blurglstev. Two chapters within so close a time to each other is unheard of from me. Not for a very long time. -stares wistfully into the sunset- Hopefully I can keep up the pace. :p


	3. Unrequited

     “Ya know, I never ever thought in my life I’d be goin around and supporting an army like this!” Mozu exclaimed happily, tossing a whole bunch of freshly diced veggies in the large pot of stew she was preparing. Corrin couldn’t help but give a smile to the villager turned warrior as she brought the shaker of pepper that the other girl had asked for. The kitchen at their fort in the astral plane had certainly been seeing a lot more on its menu since Mozu had joined. The former farm girl had certainly never lost her green thumb, and seemed to love hunting just as much as growing crops. And while most everyone took turns manning the kitchen (for better or for worse), Mozu volunteered more often than not, happy to help at any time.

     Honestly, Corrin had never imagined that Mozu would be up to so much after the loss of her entire village. “You’ve really taken to the army well, Mozu.”

     The village girl blushed and shook her head, “I’m just doing my part to help – after all, you all saved me! It’s the least I can do.”

     “The least you can do?” The dragon girl gasped in surprise, “Mozu, you’ve been more than amazing! It’s hard to believe the timid girl we first met had become such an accomplished archer in such a short time! You’ve had to have knocked enemies off of my back in every single battle so far; when we were fighting the Wind Tribe, and in the trap at Izumo, and most d _efinitely_ a few days ago in Mokushu!”

     “Aw shucks, Lady Corrin, I’m just repayin the favor…” Mozu averted her eyes from Corrin while she twiddled her fingers. “I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you and the rest of the army…” But the fire in her eyes came back strong quickly, and she said, “That’s why I’m gonna make sure to work hard at everything I can manage! I’ll make sure today’s stew will knock everyone’s socks off!”

     Corrin laughed, and Mozu let out a chuckle too before she grabbed a big spoon and taste tested the stew. The twin tailed girl frowned, “Hmmm, I think it can use a few more chunks of squash. Lady Corrin, would you mind fetchin me one from that crate over there?” She pointed off to the corner where a great deal of veggie crates lay.

     With a nod, Corrin walked over and noted that there were a lot more crates here than she remembered, and definitely an increase in radishes (though that was more likely to do with poor Kaze's situation). She knew that Mozu had taken the gift of vegetables from some grateful older women happy to have a helping hand and began to start her own little field, but the yield seemed awfully large for one girl to handle on her own. As she brought Mozu a large, yellow squash she asked, “Mozu, did you bring in these harvests all by yourself? I know you’re strong, but it does seem like an awful lot of work…”

     “Hm? Oh, no I get all the help I need,” Mozu said as she began to peel the squash with an expert hand, “Saizo usually always sends me some help when I ask, so it’s never a problem!”

     That was not a name that Corrin had expected to pop up. “Saizo?”

     “Yep! Ends up that ninja villages do a lot of farmin for ‘self-sufficiency,’ he said. That brother of his, Kaze, he’s a real help too! He peels potatoes faster than a fox running out of a henhouse,” a fire then lit behind Mozu’s eyes, and there seemed to be extra force in the way she began dicing the squash, “It kinda riles me up, really, but I’ll do it, Lady Corrin, I’ll be the potato peeling queen of this army, ya hear!?” Honestly, the silver haired girl found the determination Mozu had kind of scary when she had a very sharp carving knife in her hand, but also very amusing. The fire quickly died down, however, and Mozu happily went on, “Still, it’s nice. Those two really enjoy my cooking too – says it reminds them of home. I never woulda thought something as simple as a home cooked meal could be something I had in common with ninjas.”

     That wasn’t something Corrin would have that of either. It did make sense, though, even if Corrin was bothered by what Mozu had said. Bothered wasn’t really the right word, however. It felt terrible to admit it, but she was actually a bit jealous. It seemed that the Mozu didn’t draw any sort of suspicion from Saizo, and, in fact, even got along quite well with her. Meanwhile, Ryoma’s disappearance didn’t make Saizo view Corrin with a warmer eye, that was for sure. _I can only imagine the treatment poor Silas is getting…_ Surely it had to be worse for their new knight. But even as she thought of how she was likely getting off easily compared to her childhood friend, it didn’t really keep the sting from reaching her heart.

     “Um… Mozu?” This time it was the dragon girl’s turn to fiddle her fingers.

     “Yes, Lady Corrin?”

     “Would you… mind teaching me how to cook?”

     There was a pause in Mozu’s squash chopping as she looked at the noble lady beside her in puzzlement. “You wanna learn how to cook? From me?” A nod confirmed the answer to Mozu’s query. “B-but you’re a Lady! Ladies aren’t supposed to have any business tending to the kitchen!”

     “Well, this is wartime. I can’t afford to keep relying on others – what if I get stranded out in the wilderness all by myself someday? No one will be there to cook anything I scavenge for me.” It was a logical explanation that made complete sense. It was also a lie, but she wasn’t about to bring that up to Mozu. “Besides, I’ve been trying to be more self-sufficient myself. I mean, you can ask Jakob! I can’t brew a good cup of tea to save my life – he pretends like I do, switching out the cups when I’m not looking and acting like I did a good job, but I know better.”

     Mozu took a moment to take in the story before letting out a laugh, “Really, Lady Corrin? Not even a cup of tea? I’m sorry, I don’t mean to laugh, but that’s just so funny!”

     Corrin leaned over the counter and held her head with her hands as she let out a toothy grin, “Yes, it is, isn’t it? So what do you say, Mozu? Can you teach this hopeless princess how to cook?”

     Eyes turned upwards in thought, Mozu thought about it. “I mean, I don’t mind at all, but there’s gotta be someone better than little ol’ me.” She said as she picked up the chopping board and slid the chopped up squash into her stew.

     With a shake of her head, the dragon girl said with confidence, “No, it has to be you.”

     Mozu, it seemed, wasn’t going to put up much of a fight. With a hopeless smile directed towards the noble, she replied with, “Well, if you insist, then I guess I’ll just have to do my best! We can start right now, if you’re willing – I can tell you all about what everything together adds to this stew.” And Corrin couldn’t help but smile at the ever cheerful Mozu, eagerly listening to the girl as she went on about the veggies and the flavors they’d create together.

     It had definitely felt like an educational afternoon to Corrin as she walked back to her quarters. There was no chance of her getting to cook anything herself that day, the stew was pretty much done when Mozu added that last bit of squash, needing only to simmer for a few hours before dinner time, but the brunette happily said that next time she’d leave it Corrin. While she may not have had much confidence in diving into it, Mozu seemed to believe the dragon girl was capable of it or at the very least able to learn from any mistakes she might’ve made. In that way, at least, Mozu might’ve made a better teacher than Jakob since she was willing to let her make mistakes. She had said, “I’ll make sure you won’t get an upset stomach if you ever get stranded!”

 _Hah… stranded…_ Corrin still wished that was the truth about why she had wanted to learn to cook.

 _“Those two really enjoy my cooking too – says it reminds them of home.”_ That’s what Mozu had said.

     With a sigh, Corrin tried to ignore the fleeting thoughts that entered her head from time to time. She tried to focus instead on getting out of the training gear she had worn for the bow lessons she was taking from a very irate Takumi – something she probably should have done before having decided to drop by the kitchen to visit Mozu – and get into more casual wear. Yet her mind entertained the thought of Saizo complimenting her for a well-made meal. A smile crept on her face, though fell quickly at the realization it would likely never happen.

     In the months that had passed, her crush hadn’t faded at all like she had hoped. In fact, if anything, her feelings seemed to have grown. On the battlefield, Saizo was an indispensable force, his skill in stealth, poison, and flame allowing him whittle away at foes or take them on at full force if cornered. He was brutal in battle, using his rage to fuel him forward… and also being worryingly reckless. So dedicated to Hoshido he was, he was willing to sacrifice himself if he was in one of those cornered situations, his mastery of pyrotechnics damaging all the enemies near him, but also damaging himself. The first time she had seen him do this, she admonished him. Naturally, he did not care for her opinion on the matter, waving the flag of duty to her face. They had actually gotten into a near literally explosive argument, only broken up due to Kaze’s intervention. After that, Corrin took to stay near him on the field of battle, likely to Saizo’s chagrin. But she refused to allow him to take such dangerous measures under her watch.

     And on the topic of watches, he certainly had kept to his promise. Regardless of whether Ryoma was present or not, sometimes she could still feel his eye on her during day to day life. For example, earlier when she was with Mozu, she was fairly certain that he had been watching from some dark corner. _He probably thinks I’m out to poison him now._ And the mere thought of that caused a hollow chuckle escape her lips. Yet she knew that in the times that he wasn’t watching her, that he made his own contributions. Hearing that he was helping Mozu with her crops really shouldn’t have been that surprising. She also knew for a fact that he was attempting to help Setsuna better herself as a retainer – though honestly, both Corrin and Hinoka knew that was an impossible task. For all she continued to see and learn of Saizo, she could not help but continue to worry for him, and to also admire him. _He is a truly good man…_

     A knock on her door knocked her out of her reverie. For a moment, she blankly stared at the door. She hadn’t been expecting anyone, so she almost felt as though maybe her mind had been playing tricks on her. A look down at the crack of her door showed a shadow, however, so someone was definitely there. “I’ll be right there.” With a quick check to make sure she was presentable after absently getting lost in her own thoughts, she quickly made her way to the door and opened it up.

     Kagero stood on the other side, quickly bowing her head in deference to Corrin upon her opening the door. “Milady.”

     “Oh, hello Kagero.” The words came blankly from her mouth. Kaze, maybe, Sakura was a possibility, more than likely it could’ve been Jakob, but she had not expected Kagero. Yet the silence lingered to awkwardness, and Corrin shook her head to herself, “I’m sorry, Kagero, would you like to come in?” She shifted to the side to allow the kunoichi entry.

     Stoic as always, Kagero’s expression did not shift, but Corrin could have sworn she felt some hesitation, “Thank you, Milady. I hope I’m not bothering you terribly, I just wanted to speak to you about something… it shouldn’t be long.” Again, she bowed her head in deference, and then walked in.

     “Would you like to-” But the ninja cut her off before she could finish, “I will stand, Milady.”

     Corrin just nodded, not at all sure what to make of the female ninja. Instead, she sat down herself and did her best to bring up a genuine smile, “What can I help you with?”

     “I only wanted to thank you, Lady Corrin.”

     “Thank me?” As far as she was aware, she hadn’t done anything for Kagero.

     However, Kagero nodded the affirmation of her words, “Yes. You lead the battle in Mokushu, and in doing so saved my life. I realized I never thanked you properly for such action, and I felt the need to let you know my appreciation.”

 _All these ninjas are so dutiful,_ the dragon girl thought, a small smile upon her expression. “You’re welcome, Kagero, but I can hardly say it was my intention to rescue you – don’t get me wrong, I’m most certainly glad you’re safe! But none of us had any idea you were imprisoned. If anything, I should be thanking you. We had no idea what became of Ryoma at all until you let us know.” As she spoke the latter sentence, she stood up and gave her own bow to Kagero.

     When she rose, she noted that the kunoichi was slightly flushed. “Thank you, Lady Corrin… but I’m hardly worthy of such praise.” It was so strange to see Kagero’s expressionless face with a blush, and stranger still to hear her words strained like she couldn’t think of what to say properly.

     Corrin’s smile grew slightly, and she gently replied, “All you ninjas really need to learn how to accept a thank you.”

     It took a moment for Kagero to register the statement, and when she did her expression actually softened for a moment, the smallest of grins gracing her face. “Yes, Milady, you’re right. I graciously accept your thanks. You’re very welcome.”

     The two women stood opposite each other silently, both clearly unsure of what to say. Kagero was the first to speak, however, “Milady, I apologize if this is presumptuous of me but… is something troubling you?”

     With a slight tilt of her head, Corrin responded with another question, “Why would you think that?”

     Quiet again filled the room as Kagero tried to find the correct words, “When I first arrived, you seemed… distant. It is presumptuous of me, I must confess, I do not know you as well as I would like, but you looked as if you had been thinking deeply on something. If it is something I can assist you with, I’m sure that Lord Ryoma would wish me to help you.”

     Blankly, Corrin stared at the woman. In that moment, a vague flicker of something like hope flashed within her mind. She had already resigned herself to thinking that Saizo would likely view her distrustfully forever, but Kagero was also a retainer to Ryoma. Perhaps she knew a way to gain Saizo’s trust that she didn’t. But it was also then that Corrin remembered Saizo’s promise to always be watching her. Warily, she glanced around, wondering if the man was perhaps hiding in the shadows right outside her door. And then she realized there was someone here would likely be able to detect him easily.

     “… Kagero, would you know if Saizo happened to be nearby?”

     “He is not.” She assured.

     With a nod, Corrin decided to let part of her mind be known, “As I’m sure you gathered, Saizo has taken it upon himself to keep surveillance on me. He doesn’t trust me at all, and doubts my loyalty to Hoshido and Ryoma. I have no ill intentions.” Her face heated up as she spoke, and Corrin found herself unable to make direct eye contact with the female ninja, choosing instead to focus on a spot by the table she stood near and tracing a circle into the tablecloth. “… I just… don’t want him to look at me so harshly.”

     “Lady Corrin… do you perhaps… have feelings for Saizo?”

     The circle she had been tracing veered wildly off course at Kagero’s guess. It was like she had forgotten how to breathe for a moment, and if her face was heated before, she was sure that now it was a deep crimson. _Is it really_ that _obvious?_ She felt almost afraid to move. Corrin bit down upon her lip and attempted to find the courage to look at Kagero, but her embarrassment was too great to allow her.

     Evidently, that reaction was all Kagero needed to come to a conclusion. “I see… As I’m sure you are aware, it is within our occupation as ninjas to be cautious, but Saizo is by far the most wary. I have no intention to discourage you, but he is quite stubborn and… difficult to pursue in such a fashion.”

     Corrin found the last bit of Kagero’s statement interesting. Somehow managing to keep her embarrassment at bay, she finally raised her head to face the woman again. “I suppose I’m not the first then? To have felt this way towards him, I mean.” Merely saying it aloud made her want to dig a hole and live in it forever.

     “No… Years ago, I was… involved… with him. We disagreed on too many things, however, and his stubbornness made him unwilling to compromise. Though I suppose I am not completely blameless, either. Regardless, it was a long time ago.” Even with her pauses, Kagero’s words were said in an incredibly professional manner. Yet despite the businesslike manner in which it was said, it weighed heavily upon Corrin. “Oh,” was all she could manage as a new set of unsettling thoughts ran through her mind, the hope she had earlier being slowly quashed under the weight of her imagination. Again she faltered, her eyes averting back to the tablecloth that she had been tracing circles on, but her fingers did not attempt to play with any shapes upon it.

     “I cannot claim to have much experience, Milady, but I do want you to know that I would happily offer my assistance to you should you ever need it.”

     The words spoken were sincere, but Corrin’s mind was rather shut off to the idea of any help Kagero had to offer. It was silly, and childish even, but an ugly part of herself she didn’t know she had reared up from her mind. The dragon girl fought it off, and forcefully turned her gaze back to the ninja with a false smile, “Thank you, Kagero. I truly appreciate it. You may go now.”

     Wordlessly, the kunoichi bowed her head and left – through the door, like a normal person, to Corrin’s surprise – and closed the door softly behind her. And when she was gone, Corrin’s false smile dropped to a frown and her brows turned upwards in an expression of discomfort. _Saizo and Kagero…_ It made sense. They were both Ryoma’s retainers, both ninjas – the proximity to each other was close and natural. On top of it all, Kagero was quite beautiful, tall and statuesque in a way that almost reminded her of Camilla, just more Hoshidan. And when she had thought of it, she recalled that Saizo seemed quite alarmed to discover that Kagero had been found in Mokushu, and especially relieved that she was unharmed. _He probably still cares for her._

     A heavy sigh escaped her lips. _I’m a fool._

     Besides, there were more pressing matters to worry about than her childish fantasies. They had to prepare to head to Cheve and find Ryoma, after all. And that would mean heading nearer to Nohrian territory, which meant careful planning since, for most of the army, it was unfamiliar territory. There was no time to be dwelling on things that would never be.

     That didn’t stop it from hurting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm seriously gonna try to see how fast I can churn these out before getting burnt out. With any luck, this fanfic might actually get completed within a month and not hopefully last me seven years plus and so on like... other fanfics that people are probably angry at me for not updating. Whoops. I'm also trying to do an experimental thing with my writing, in trying to keep each chapter as one continuous flow of text with no breaks. So far so good, but I'm not so sure I can get away with that next chapter...
> 
> Anywaaaaaays. *kicks Corrin off to the side* Enough of you for right now, you're not the only character in this fic. :P


	4. B-Rank

     While Corrin acted innocuous enough, Saizo refused to be fooled. When he had told her that he would always be watching, he meant it – so long as it did not interfere regarding his duties to Lord Ryoma, anyways. Hoshidan princess she may have been, but she had spent the majority of the life she remembered in Nohr. Even if she had meant her promises of standing by Hoshido, who was to say she wouldn’t fall to sentimentality? She had even gone so far as to take in the Nohrian knight and the Izana imposter. As far as he was concerned it meant one of two things: she was slowly gathering a small force to take the army down from the inside, or she was an overtly kind idiot.

     The latest observations he was able to make about her had him beginning to come the conclusion of “idiot.”

     One such recollection of her idiocy was after a Faceless ambush. In an unusual slip-up, Saizo had found himself surrounded by Faceless. To be captured by the enemy or killed was simply not an option for a ninja; forced into such a situation, he had no choice but to use his pyrotechnics. The Faceless had perished, and he had survived his own incendiary mechanisms. As far as he had been concerned, such results were more than acceptable. Corrin, however, disagreed.

     “How could you do that to yourself?!” She had yelled.

     “It is unacceptable to face death at the hands of the enemy,” he had explained to her plainly. “Should I die, they will die with me, and Hoshido is less any Nohrian monsters.”

     “There’s no heroism in sacrificing yourself in such a manner!” Corrin had snapped. It had been the first time he had seen her truly angry short of the incident following Queen Mikoto’s death. She had marched up to him, glaring at him from the tip of her toes, throwing her arms out as she yelled, “To hell with your ‘duty,’ Hoshido needs you! Your life is just as precious as anyone else in the army’s, to throw it away insults the country you strive to protect!”

     She had struck a particularly sensitive nerve, and injured as he was, he would not stand for it. “And what would a runaway Nohrian princess know of honor; of a ninja’s place and duty to his lord?! You have yours, and I have mine – and I will not allow you to tarnish it!” He had yelled right back at her, his larger frame looming over her threateningly. But her own outrage seemed to have matched his, and she did not back down, one of her feet having stomped angrily on the ground as she opened her mouth to continue on a rant.

     The argument, however, never came to a conclusion. Kaze had come in that moment before Corrin could get the rest of her words out, escorting his liege away to cool her head and leaving Saizo to the healers. In that aspect, she had to be an idiot – not to recognize his place versus hers.

     Yet for all he knew, all her apparent kindness and caring could have been an elaborate ruse. She may have been trying to win everyone with kindness. There was nothing he could observe to prove to the contrary… Was what he would have liked to have thought.

     Saizo’s continued observation of her had shown him that she was far more docile than he thought a Nohrian could be. Hana had shown her no care at all, and rather than force her to come to an understanding, Corrin simply dealt with it in stride and followed Hana’s terms. Lord Takumi was also hostile to her, and again, she was dealing with him in the same fashion. She abided by his terms. And then there were the members of the army more open to her, such as Oboro. Honestly, Saizo hadn’t expected that Oboro, who had especial reason to hate Nohr, would actually accept Corrin’s offers of support, even open to her about her insecurities. Yet in the late night interactions that Corrin and Oboro had, the lancer poured her heart out to Hoshido’s lost princess.

     Quite simply, Saizo wasn’t sure what to make of this woman at all. On the one hand, he couldn’t believe that anyone was as naïve as her, but most all of her actions indicated she was. It was making it very difficult to determine whether or not he could deem Corrin a true threat, or even find out if she had any sort of ulterior motivations. Especially considering what had occurred in Mokushu.

     In truth, it was something he had actually wished to ask her about, but in the days since the battle he had been unable to confront her about it. The deeper truth of the matter was that he was unsure of how to react should his guesses be correct. If she had given the commands she had for the reasons he suspected, was it a ruse or true honesty that compelled those actions? The wary mind he had to hone was conflicted by the overwhelming evidence that this woman was kind to the point of stupidity, and that so far this kindness had paid off, in an unexpected twist.

     It had been easier than usual to find her that day to resume his watch of her; she seemed to have been having difficulty with a rather large trunk, and he had an excellent vantage point from the shadow of an adjacent building within the astral plane’s fort. He observed her quietly at first, not understanding why a woman who could simply transform into a dragon not use such a talent to her advantage at this moment. Instead, she chose to push it along with great difficulty. Either she truly was dumb, or she was feeling under the weather… And now that he had a look at her, she didn’t seem her usual “vibrant” self. Truth be told, she hadn’t been looking up to par for the past few days.

     The giant box she was lugging seemed to have won the battle for the moment. The girl sighed and slumped against its side, but then began to cautiously look around. Saizo could hear her mumble under her breath, “Ugh, I can feel his eye on me again…” Inwardly he smirked. If only she knew that a ninja’s hearing was better than she gave it credit for.

     Corrin looked this way and that, and he knew that she was trying to see if she could pick him out from the shadows. Failing, she raised her voice, “Saizo, are you always this vigilant when it comes to me? Don’t you get tired? I know I get exhausted, being under constant watch.” And the ninja had to admit, she _did_ sound tired, and not just because she had been pushing a large box around. But he gave no indication that he was present, and she let out a disappointed sigh. “No response? … Nothing?” She looked around again, then let out another heavy sigh and picked herself up. “Ah, but enough bellyaching. I need to get these things inside. I just wish they weren't so heavy.” The silver haired girl stretched out her arms and then pumped them in the air, some sort of attempt hype herself up he figured. She placed her hands up against the side of the trunk, “One… two…” And then she pushed with all her might. “ _Hrrrrrrrng!_ ”

     The box didn’t move. It was incredibly pathetic.

     “All right,” he finally conceded as he emerged from his hiding place.

     “ _Gah_!” The ninja could have sworn he saw her hair stand on end as she jumped in surprise. The former Nohrian princess quickly turned on her heel, patting her chest to steady her heartbeat. “Warn me next time, Saizo!”

     “I don’t make a habit of advertising my presence. You should learn to sense it.” He chided as he approached her, even though he had to admit that she _had_ noticed him earlier. And fter getting an up close look at her, he did notice that she looked worse off than he had thought. She had always made it a habit to be near him in battle, so he’d liked to have thought he could pin when something was wrong. The shadows under her eyes and the dull sheen of grey her hair had taken over its usual vibrant silver certainly indicated to him that she was most definitely not feeling well. It was none of his business… but still, Saizo did feel the need to point it out. “You've been looking pale and fatigued lately. Not that we really need you, but… I worry you'll drag the others down if you try to fight in that condition.”

     At first he had thought maybe he had spoken a different language the way she had looked at him so blankly. After a moment, however, the blank look just became a tired smile. “Oh…” she let out a humorless chuckle, “I’m just tired out from looking over my shoulder all the time.”

     “What?” Unsure of whether that was a jab or a joke, he had to wonder if he was really so exhausting. Regardless of what it was, however, he was irritated, and he was sure that it carried in his monosyllabic response.

     Corrin stared at him, as if trying to detect something. There was a look in her eyes that almost took him off guard, and finally she sighed. She looked off to the side, an expression between sadness and disappointment etched into her face, her quiet voice reflecting her appearance, “You still don’t trust me, do you?”

     Immediately he defaulted to suspicion. “You've given me no reason to,” he snapped quickly, and again a feeling of guilt came upon him, knowing that his answer was neither truth nor lie. But he continued as if he had meant it, making sure she would sense no indication of his own doubts, “I'm sure you'd love for me to stop watching you, but I know better. I have one eye, and it's staying fixed directly on you.” Despite his harsh tone of voice, she did not react it. Or rather, she did, just not in a way he had expected. Corrin simply turned away and went back to focus upon the large box she had been attempting to move. He scowled, “Though I’m forced to admit this is a problem I can’t overlook.”

     “What problem? What are you-” He had gently pushed her aside and picked up that troublesome box of hers, hoisting it up with little issue. Honestly surprised and with wide eyes she let out a, “Whoa!”

     “Quiet,” he hissed, feeling himself get a bit flustered by how easily she was impressed. Yes, the box was heavy for a small girl like her, and admittedly it was heavy for him as well, but he could deal with it much easier than she could. It was nothing to fuss over. “Where do you need this?”

     For all the sad looks and tired expressions she had been giving him, her indignation was quick to rise. Her right foot stamped down to the ground roughly as it did when she was prone to her tantrums, “T-those are my things! I can carry them perfectly well myself!”

     “That’s not what I saw.” The ninja went out of his way to say at least that much gently, but returned to his gruff tone of voice as he continued, “You are, however tenuously, an ally. I'm not so cruel as to let you lug these around by yourself. It is dishonorable to turn a blind eye to one in need of help. Are you impugning my honor?”

     The dragon girl looked startled. Was it really so surprising for him to offer her any sort of kindness? Was he really the reason that she looked so unwell? Perhaps he had been tougher on her than he had thought. But after she had her few seconds to take his words to heart, her eyes brightened ever so slightly. “N-not at all… Thank you, Saizo.”

     Something about the way in which said it combined with that new animated look in her face took him off guard. Corrin just looked so grateful over this trifle. “Don’t think this means you’re off the hook,” he added quickly, “More importantly, hurry and tell me where this trunk goes.” He shifted the trunk in his arms a bit, its heaviness finally beginning to truly bother him.

     “Oh, er…” she looked around quickly and pointed to the location, “That shed over there.”

     “Understood,” Saizo affirmed with a quick nod. “This will only take a moment.” He hastily left her side, unsure as to why he had felt so bad about the sad looks she gave him and so disconcerted at her genuine smile. Enough so that she had muttered something as he dropped off the trunk in the shed and he had not been able to make out her words. The frustration rose within his mind, but he quickly shook it off. After all, he had not come to her today to help her move her luggage. He wanted an answer from her, and it would do no good to ask her about it if he couldn’t keep focused.

     She had followed him to lock the door to the shed shortly after he had made his way to the shed. He lingered as she handled the lock and key, waiting for her to finish. A glance his way as she shut the lock showed her surprise, as she probably thought he would have dismissed himself by now. “Is something wrong, Saizo?”

     “The battle at Mokushu… Why did you have me take down Kotaro?”

     The surprise hadn’t quite left her expression. A pregnant pause filled the air before she chuckled and waved her hand nonchalantly, “You were the closest to him at the time, it would have been foolish to waste time and have someone else fight him.”

     Saizo’s brow furrowed, wondering why she would bother with such a weak lie. Did she take him for a fool? He had been nowhere near close to Kotaro. “No, it was foolish to have me fight him. I wasn’t the closest to him at all, Subaki was. In fact, you had ordered Subaki and Lady Hinoka to clear the shrine maidens and enemy ninja around Kotaro. You had them clear a path for me.” Corrin’s expression didn’t change, she still kept the careless smile, but her gaze was drifting to the side. “… I know Kaze told you about how I lost my eye.” Her false smile faltered. “And I also know, due to your irritating insistence that I preserve my life on the field of battle no matter what the cost, that you heard my back and forth with Kotaro before he retreated further into the forest.”

     The silence was heavy in the air; he had caught Corrin her lie. But he could wait the rest of the afternoon for an answer. With Lord Ryoma still missing, it wasn’t as if Saizo had anyone to directly report to.

     Finally, Corrin looked back at him, her unconcerned smile back upon her face as she shrugged, “I guess I don’t remember the battle as well I thought!” And with nothing more to say, apparently, she began to walk off.

     Honestly, Saizo had no idea what to make of it. She had very clearly gone out of her way to see that he would obtain vengeance for the death of his father… and yet she denied it. He recalled how upset she had looked upon his mistrust of her earlier; maybe she thought he would only find her more suspicious and drop his guard. Perhaps she even thought that owning up to her assistance would change nothing in regards to his opinion on her.

     … But did it change nothing?

     “Corrin,” he called out to her. She paused to look over her shoulder. “… Thank you.”

     For a moment, he thought the smile on her face changed to something genuine. And in that same moment he saw it, he was glad he wore a mask.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well now... how long can these daily updates continue... Ho hum, an interesting question indeed. BUT IM GONNA RACE THROUGH THIS. I can't remember the last time I've been on such a roll, it's been so long. Perhaps a step out of Zelda was what I needed? Whatever the case, these chapters are irritatingly shorter than I thought they'd be, but I find little point in adding filler text to a completed segment just to bump word count. I've actually been going out of my way to EDIT these chapters too, which is amazingly shocking for me. I never usually do that ever, but I'm beginning to find a sort of enjoyment to that - there's a nice feeling to catching a mistake or repetition and then finding a way to fix it. Can I just say that no matter what tho, of all the localization stuff, the one thing that bothers me THE MOST is... Subaki. I died a little bit each time when I wrote it. :3
> 
> Next chapter will be fun, though. More Saizo POV shenanigans. And you know where there's Saizo realizing he's not a rage robot, awkwardness will ensue. EHEH.


	5. Surveillance Notes

     It had been quite some time since Saizo had been able to sit down and get some time to himself. In between a most unpleasant boat ride, the fiasco at Cyrkensia, and the ambush by the Nohrian princess that resulted in a reunion with Lord Ryoma in Cheve, the ninja hadn’t really the time to sit down and review them. Luckily, the otherworldly fort of Corrin’s allowed some reprieve from the chaos of the war outside. Within its walls, their guard could be dropped, even if only slightly.

     Honestly, it was the only reason why Saizo was currently in a corner of the mess hall, his latest surveillance notes booklets in a neat pile before him whilst Kagero was attending to Lord Ryoma. Azura’s had already been looked over and set aside, having deemed her no longer a threat after having cleared the air with her and her lack of love for Nohr. He then perused his notes on Silas, their Nohrian knight with ties to Corrin. The notes he had on the knight were simple enough. With only one person in the army that he knew, he at first remained near Corrin before gradually branching out and befriending other members. It was clear to see where he and the former Nohrian princess had been friends, because he had proven to be perhaps even more naïve than Corrin. But the boy had quickly managed to get along well with his new allies, and given his loyalty to the former Nohrian princess, it was safe to assume he was no worry so long as Corrin was no worry.

     This led him to the thickest booklet in amongst his pile, the one dedicated to Corrin. Saizo’s memory took him back to the time when he had assisted Corrin with that trunk and the girl’s wounded expression when she expressed dismay at still not being trusted by him. The book had not remained untouched since then, he still regularly kept up his observations of her, but he was fairly certain it was no longer necessary. Her refusal to take credit for a strategy which allowed him vengeance may have had instilled some bias to her, but she really had shown herself to be nothing but trustworthy. With that logic, it should have been easy to say that he needn’t even flip through the booklet. He could simply toss it.

     Unfortunately, sometimes there were patterns and conclusions that could be drawn upon secondary inspections. While he was sure the girl was no threat, it was within his nature and occupation to double-check his recordings, just in case.

     Setting aside the short volume dedicated to Silas, he then picked up Corrin’s. It started the same as any other of his surveillance notes, with the basic information he was able to acquire on her: names, aliases, height, figure, abilities, weapon proficiencies, and so on. It was the simple stuff, able to be acquired by even a novice. After those pages were where the true work began. The observations of her routines, her interactions with others, what she had for breakfast in the morning, and if she had worn shoes he certainly would’ve taken note on if she started putting on her shoes on the left or right first. It was all written in shorthand bullet points, easy to process and study. In all the notebooks he had covered, all notes kept to this tradition.

     Yet somewhere along the way, Corrin’s took a turn for the more detailed. What were standard notes on how long it took for her to brush her hair in the morning turned into observations the accessories she put in her hair. Normally, this would have been standard procedure – a hair pin could be a deadly weapon in a pinch, after all. The issue was that instead of writing, “black ribbon,” what was written was, “Black ribbon, today. Nice contrast to her hair.” Saizo couldn’t help but stare at it. _Did I… really write that?_ It was unmistakably his own hand, and he couldn’t think of anyone who would try to play such a prank on him. But it only got worse as he discovered this was just the first of many such incidences in his notes.

     “Enjoys Nohrian teas blended; Hoshidan teas with no additives; refined palette.”

     “Speaking with Silas; Nohrian has obvious feelings for her; seems unaware.”

     “Singing with Azura; untrained voice, but not unpleasant. lousy taste in songs.”

     “Attempted to try on boots, threw them away in disgust; quirk? discomfort? doesn’t suit her anyways.”

     “Oboro dressed her in a kimono; said green is her color; disagree, blue is more suitable.” And this one was perhaps the _worst_ of the bunch, because it had an addendum attached to it, “Still looks pretty.” It was the note he lingered on the longest, perhaps because he had the hardest time processing it. Pretty. Still looks pretty, he had written that. He had actually written that down about Corrin. When did that happen, when had he started to perceive her as pretty?! According to the notes, it had been shortly after the Izumo incident. _That’s absurd, that can’t be right. It_ still _can’t be right._

     “You’re boring a hole right through that with how intensely you’re staring at it, Saizo.”

     Kaze sat across from him, looking far more amused than Saizo would have liked. The younger twin glanced at the title of the booklet and frowned, “You can’t possibly still be suspecting her, brother.”

     He snapped the book shut and set it aside, “That’s none of your concern.” The scarred ninja would have to finish reviewing those notes another time. Hopefully when there was less of a chance of his brother catching anything unfortunate that may have been written in it.

     “I think I would be the first to know if she was capable of treachery,” Kaze pointed out, “I _am_ her retainer.”

     “I’m well aware.” Saizo replied shortly, but his short temper had less to do with Kaze pointing out the obvious and more to do with the notes he had been unable to finish reading. He hadn’t even made it to the most recent pages, who knows what other nonsense he could’ve written. Why had he even written such things?!

     “… Saizo, is something the matter?” Kaze peered at him in concern.

     “It’s nothing.” His answer was harsh and quick. Perhaps a bit too quick.

     The younger brother leaned back in his seat, but was clearly not convinced. “I hope it’s nothing I need to attempt to challenge you over again.”

     Saizo loved his brother, but there were times when he really wished he could punch Kaze. This was one of those times. Rather than act on impulse, he gave another short and terse response, “It’s not.”

     Before Kaze could continue to question him further on the matter, Mozu had peered out of a corner from the kitchen. Her slightly accented voice happily pierced through the tension, “I thought I heard my two favorite ninja brothers!” Saizo looked over his shoulder at her just in time to see her expression go flat, “You better not be fightin; this here mess hall is my house while I’m the kitchen and there won’t be any fighting.”

     “No, no, we’re not fighting,” the younger twin said, amused.

     Much as he may have felt like he wanted to punch Kaze, Saizo nodded a confirmation, “We’re not.”

     Mozu’s face lightened again, “Good! And I suppose it’s perfect timing too, I got something for you both!” And then excitedly disappeared back into the kitchen. The former village girl then came out with two bowls of stew in her hands, her face beaming with pride. “This one is gonna surprise you!” She said proudly as she set them down before each ninja.

     Kaze looked to the stew and then to Mozu, “A new recipe?”

     “Something like that,” the brunette chuckled. “Try it first!”

     Saizo forked an eyebrow. It wasn’t like Mozu to be coy like this, nonetheless he lowered his mask and took a spoonful of the stew up, sniffing it lightly first. It didn’t seem radically different, though he did detect something different about it. Perhaps a slight change in the herbs used, but nothing he thought that would be a detriment to the girl’s cooking. In fact, as he tasted it, he was surprised to see that while it did not smell that different, the flavor seemed very different. It was still the milder dish that he preferred over the stronger Hoshidan capital’s style of cooking, but he was a ninja, not a food critic. What it was that was so different, perhaps that suspected slight change of seasoning, he could not pin down. All he knew was that it was delicious, and the glance that the brothers shared showed that they were of the same mind. Within minutes, their bowls were emptied.

     Mozu had beamed, “I’m gonna take that as a seal of approval!”

     Saizo nodded approvingly, the smallest of smiles on his face, “It was delicious.”

     “Exactly like the dishes at home,” Kaze agreed, but then added a joking, “Are you sure you’re not secretly from Igasato?”

     If Saizo were a joking man, he might’ve made that same jape. Mozu’s cooking had always been similar to that of their hometown in Igasato, sometimes better, but this particular meal made it feel as if he were back in the mountains of the place he had grown up in. He’d no idea how Mozu had done it.

     But to his surprise, Mozu just laughed and said, “I’m glad to hear it, but I’m afraid I can’t be taking credit for this! I mean, I helped, but for the most part it was all my assistant today~ It was her suggestion to change up the recipe a bit, since when we were in Cheve she found this merchant claimin to have this rare Hoshidan herb found only in the mountains. Looks like it paid off though, Lady Corrin’s really got a good eye for this sorta thing!”

     Saizo immediately stood, Kaze and Mozu both giving him a surprised stare.

     “… Is something wrong, brother?”

 _Corrin… made this…_ He quickly brought his mask up to his face again when he felt his face heating. “Excuse me, I have to report to Lord Ryoma.” Saizo had quickly started to make his way out of the mess hall, but then he remembered he’d left his surveillance notes. To save himself the embarrassment, he considered leaving them there. And then he remembered Corrin’s book, and how he hadn’t finished going over it, and how the notes he had read were mortifying. His pride be damned, his pride wouldn’t _exist_ anymore if anyone looked into his notes on Corrin! So just as swiftly as he had begun to make his exist, he had turned on his heel, picked up his surveillance notes, and then vanished, leaving behind what he could only guess were a very confused Mozu and Kaze.

     But they could stay confused, because gods knew Saizo was confused. First he had been writing nonsense about her being _pretty_ , and now he was all agitated because Corrin had made a meal straight out of Igasato. How had she even _done_ that? Pure luck, if Mozu’s explanation was correct. Even so, it still rattled him. He knew that Corrin had insisted Mozu teach her how to cook, the ninja had been spying on her when she had done this, but it never occurred to him that she might actually become competent at it, let alone produce a perfect dish. Regardless of that, however, the fact remained that he was just as puzzled about Corrin as before, perhaps even slightly afraid of what the pieces he were gathering meant.

     Saizo had stopped at his quarters only to drop off his surveillance notes, his eye having only momentarily lingered on Corrin’s, which now seemed to him more of a horror novel than his own gathered notes. He left it quickly, choosing instead not to make a liar of himself and find Lord Ryoma.

     When he had found him, he relieved Kagero of her duties, and resumed shadowing their Lord. At the moment, Ryoma was handling paperwork – a crown prince’s bureaucratic work was never done, even in wartime, and the letters were sent by messengers to Yukimura, to keep the man up to date on their progress. The strange draconic Lilith was rather useful for this sort of work due to her ability to travel through the planes quickly. For the most part, however, this work did not require much from Saizo or Kagero, as their job was to simply make sure their Lord was safe and sound.

     Ryoma took pause in his writing, as if something that he wrote had bothered him, and then, to the ninja’s surprise, he called out, “Saizo, are you there?”

     The scarred ninja appeared behind Ryoma, off to the side and kneeling with his head lowered. “I’m never far, My Lord. How may I be of service?”

     “There is a question I would put to you.”

     “Ask away, My Lord.”

     The high prince of Hoshido paused for a moment to gather the correct words, and finally asked, “You were raised from a young age to take the mantle of Saizo, right?”

     “Yes.” Where was this going?

     “Have you had second thoughts on the subject?”

     “Never,” he responded quickly. Had it been anyone else asking, the ninja might have even been insulted that there was a question there. To take on the Saizo name was a great honor and a great responsibility, and he was grateful to take it on.

     His quick response, he noted, incited a small smile from the prince, “No hesitation, I see.”

     Saizo didn’t understand, what was the point of this line of questioning? “Why do you ask?”

     “I was merely curious,” was Ryoma’s simple answer. “If it never crossed your mind, very well. That will be all, Saizo, I'm sorry to have summoned you for so little.”

     It was a dismissal, clearly, but the ninja was immensely concerned. Had he not lived up to his lord’s expectations? A horrific thought raced through Saizo’s mind: had he disappointed Ryoma? When he had lost track of him on the way to the Bottomless Canyon, or the failure to end the war by dispatching of King Garon in Cyrkensia, or even his continued surveillance on Corrin – Saizo had no idea what the line of questioning was for and if that meant his performance was lacking. “Lord Ryoma…”

     “Yes, Saizo? What is it?” The prince looked over his shoulder at his retainer questioningly.

     It was incredibly insolent to ask… but he had to know. “May I ask what prompted the question? Has my work been subpar in some way?”

     Ryoma looked completely surprised. “Not at all. Your work is exemplary, as always,” he assured his retainer. That answer alone was a great weight off of Saizo’s shoulders, but now it lead to the question of if not that, then why? The ninja did not have to wait long, his lord continued on, “No, I wondered because I've been having my own doubts along those lines.”

     “Doubts, My Lord?” He had a difficult time trying to understand why there would be any sort of doubts.

     Ryoma faced forward again, eyes closed and nodding as he said, “It can't be easy, working in the shadows,” his tone was matter-of-fact. He’d clearly thought of this. “Some of your jobs are ethically dubious. But you discharge your duty without complaint.”

     This was the way of a ninja. Ninja were not recruited to offer opinions or complaints, they were recruited to complete the tasks asked of them – no matter what they were. And Saizo made sure to respond as much, “I do what is expected of me, My Lord.”

     “But the high risk you undertake ought to merit a correspondingly high reward,” Ryoma reasoned, his voice having an air of distress as he continued, “And right now our army does not have the funds to compensate you properly. I thought this might be cause for some dissatisfaction.”

     The scarred man raised his head then, shocked that his Lord might think such a thing “Never!” He replied quickly, “Such things couldn’t be further from my thoughts!”

     “I’m glad to hear that,” the prince nodded. “But if you ever do have any such concerns, I ask that you bring them to me.” There was an earnestness to Ryoma’s tone, the man was truly concerned.

     “Your generosity is most kind, My Lord.” Saizo meant it, too. Lords usually never concerned themselves with worries about their ninja and how they were compensated. It simply wasn’t done.

     “I intend to do everything in my power to reward you for your service. It's only fair.” Hoshido’s crown prince was determined, insistent on this matter.

     “As you say, Lord Ryoma.” Saizo honestly didn’t understand, but took the dismissal.

     He vanished back into the shadows, still attempting to make heads or tails of what Ryoma had just told him. Saizo was a ninja, he needed no reward or compensation beyond being able to continue to serve Hoshido and Ryoma. Yet he couldn’t help but remember something similar, an explosive argument between Corrin and himself. She, too, had been concerned about his well-being – just in a far more volatile fashion. _They truly are family_ , the ninja thought to himself exasperatedly. They were odd, concerning themselves with such things…

     Corrin especially. He wasn’t under her service. Why had she been so concerned, especially to him, who had really done nothing but threaten her and continually kept up a hostile front? _“Your life is just as precious as anyone else in the army’s, to throw it away insults the country you strive to protect!”_ Why had she even said something like that? Did she not realize the duty of a ninja?

     Ryoma’s words rang in his mind again, _“I intend to do everything in my power to reward you for your service. It's only fair.”_ And again, he thought of Corrin. For a moment, Saizo had nearly dropped his stealth and tripped over himself. It would have been impressively humiliating given how he hadn’t been moving, still in the same room as his Lord, simply only in the shadows.

     As the thoughts of Ryoma’s words and the image of Corrin crossed paths, something dangerous and incredibly out of his station resulted. Saizo was glad that he could not be seen in the covert, dark corners of the room, as he was sure that his face was as red as his hair. It was absurd, incredibly stupid, unlike him, and most incredibly insolent and out of his station. To entertain such thoughts was an exercise in misery. If the ninja knew what was best for himself, he’d erase the fact that the thought even tiptoed gingerly into his mind proper from existence.

     Apparently, he didn’t know what was best for himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *falls in* This one is a little late. I had actually finished it last night, but I had a job interview this morning and had to go to bed early - it was a surprise interview so I didn't have much time to plan ahead. Yet I'm still running on less than 3 hours of sleep right now. As such, the proofreading may not be great this chapter, and for that I apologize. I'll look over it again later. Chances are I won't be getting another chapter out immediately, I'm way too sleepy.
> 
> But yes, this chapter, yeah. Have nothing much to say on it except I took some supports into my own hands, lol. But it's fine, it's fine, this is just me trying to make sense of all these supports that, let's face it, don't work in the real time terms of the game, just nope - I mean, just look at Takumi's and Sakura's supports with each other, when is that supposed to take place I don't understand. That aside, yeeeeeaaaaah. If I had any actual real commentary to say I can't remember it, so sorry about that. I want to thank everyone, at least, for their continued support - it means a lot. ;w;


	6. A-Rank

     “O-oh, Corrin, there you are!”

     Corrin turned to see Sakura coming her way with her speedy but still somehow hesitant gait. The dragon girl beamed a smile at her little sister, putting a pause to the spar she and Jakob were having. Upon seeing Sakura, however, Jakob bowed and excused himself… only a few feet away however, to allow the princesses some measure of privacy.

     “Good morning, Sakura! Did you need me for something?”

     “N-no, I mean, yes! Erm, I mean…” the shy princess’s face reddened as she continued to stumble over her words, but finally managed to say, “What I meant to say was that, if you’re not terribly busy, I was hoping that we… we could all spend some time with each other? You, Azura, Hinoka, Takumi, Ryoma, and I – it’s been so long so we’ve been able to sit down with each other and just talk, and be together, as a family. I was hoping that if you and the others were free we could…” her voice began to drop off shyly.

     “That’s sounds wonderful, Sakura,” Corrin chirped happily. “I think we should, you’re absolutely right!”

     Sakura sighed in relief, and then froze. With a panicked look she began to look around quickly, “W-wait, um, but no retainers! Just us!”

     “Excuse me?” Jakob didn’t sound pleased by the stipulation.

     The youngest princess of Hoshido immediately recoiled, “S-sorry-”

     “Oh don’t be sorry, Sakura,” Corrin said, waving a dismissive hand in Jakob’s direction. She looked over her shoulder and gave her retainer a flat look, “Come now, Jakob, she wants to spend some quality time with me and her other brothers and sisters, there’s nothing wrong with that. And it’s not like you can’t entertain yourself without me.”

     The butler appeared dismayed but did not argue further, “As you say, My Lady.”

     The redheaded girl mumbled another apology, but again Corrin spoke over it, “You can help, though. If you could find Azura, Takumi, Hinoka, and Ryoma, please tell them Sakura and I are waiting by the spring for them.” The middle princess of Hoshido looked to her sister, “That’s fine, right? I just chose the spring because it was scenic, but if you’d prefer anywhere else…?”

     “Oh, no, that’s perfect,” Sakura assured, nodding her head with a weak smile.

     Corrin then turned her attention back to Jakob, “Yes then, the spring. Tell them we’re waiting by the spring – and no retainers.”

     Jakob bowed, “Very well, My Lady.”

     And as her butler went about to follow her order, Corrin looked around briefly and called out, seemingly to no one in particular, “Kaze, you too!” There was a shift in the trees nearby as leaves rustled and shook, and the ninja took his own leave. Corrin looked back to Sakura, who had been staring at the recently vacated tree with her face a deep shade of pink. The elder sister smiled and then hooked her arm into her younger sister’s, “Let’s go, Sakura! Perhaps we can pick up some snacks on the way?”

     They stopped by the mess hall, where Orochi was manning the kitchen that day and happily provided them with all sorts of snacks. Corrin briefly recalled her childhood, and the faded memories of Silas sneaking her out of the Northern Fortress for an impromptu picnic. She was really glad that Sakura had come up to her for this. Just as she remembered little of Silas and had the chance to make new memories with her old friend, she was intent on making new memories with this family she had little recollection of. And Sakura had definitely been right – the last time they had all been together outside of battle planning and strategy meetings had to have been before Ryoma and Takumi had gone missing months ago. Really, a small surprise picnic by the spring of just brothers and sisters, was long overdue.

     And in truth, Corrin really needed a pick up. The war had been taking its toll on her lately, and she was feeling increasingly dismayed by decisions she had made. The betrayal from Zola, for example, should have been one she saw coming. But she had let herself get fooled, even if, towards the end, she did conclude that Zola was simply a man forced into a corner. He felt he had had no choice, and did what he had to in order to survive. In a way, perhaps that’s why she had come to trust him – those were the same exact reasons that she had when she had defected to Hoshido. But the bias never should have been there to begin with. Just as the bias she had in Mokushu… It worked out in the end, but she had a bias when it came to Saizo. Because she cared so much for him, she had reordered her troops and changed the initial strategy in such a way that he managed to get his confrontation with Kotaro. Again, things concluded far less disastrously than in Cyrkensia, but there was the possibility that things could have gone very wrong. She had been thinking too much with her heart, and not enough like a commander. With all this jumbled in her mind, it was no wonder that Sakura’s suggestion seemed like such a welcome reprieve.

     As she and Sakura set up their spot by the spring, Hinoka and Azura arrived, followed by Ryoma, and lastly Takumi. It didn’t take long for the mood lighten, and it ended up that, much as they were aware that they were in the middle of a war, all the siblings were glad to have a moment of levity. Yet even with the good mood and light-hearted chatter about Hayato butting heads with Orochi in magic, about Oboro scaring Silas with the face she reserved for Nohrians, about the mystery salve that Setsuna had made for Hinata, and even the bear incident Corrin had with Azama, Sakura seemed distracted by something. Azura was the first to bring it up.

     “Sakura, you’ve been very quiet – is there something on your mind?” The songstress asked.

     Sakura jumped a bit on her sitting mat, keenly aware that all her brothers and sisters were eyeing her in concern. “Ah… Um… Y-yes… Actually… I need to say that’s… part of why I wanted everyone here today… Aside from, you know, spending time with all of you.” Her face grew pinker and pinker with each word, as if what she wanted to speak of was out of her comfort zone completely.

     “You look pinker than your namesake,” Takumi teased, which only served to make Sakura go from a shade of pink into red.

     “If there’s something you wish to consult with us, Sakura, please go ahead. We’re all here for you.” Ryoma smiled gently at their youngest sister.

     Now that everyone had been waiting so expectantly, Sakura seemed to be at a loss. Corrin put a hand on her shoulder, and the girl peeked up at her big sister and seemed to have reclaimed her confidence. While there was still a slight stutter in her voice, she said, “W-well… This is all really new to me, and I thought… Maybe since you’re all older than me, you might have better answers – erm, more experience…” All her siblings were leaning in closer in anticipation. The young princess bit down on her lip, and then finally announced, “I th-think I like someone!”

     There was dead silence.

     The brothers were the first to respond, asking in unison with a dark look on their faces, “ _Who is it_?”

     “I’m not saying, it’s embarrassing!” Sakura cried out, slapping her hands in front of her face to hide the cherry red her expression had become.

     “Yeah, and you’re not making her feel better by wearing those faces!” Hinoka chided the brothers. Takumi and Ryoma looked off to the side, off put by the oldest sister’s reprimand.

     Corrin, however, beamed at the littlest sister. “Really? That’s so great, Sakura! Does he like you back?”

     The girl kept her face hidden, “I-I don’t know…” But then she had gathered her courage again and peered through her fingers, looking at each one of her brothers and sisters before continuing on, “That’s why I wanted to ask you all… How do you confess to someone? Should I confess? I mean… what if he doesn’t feel the same way? I already act so much like a child despite my age, I certainly wouldn’t want him to continue to think that way of me if he doesn’t feel the same way…”

     Hinoka was the first to respond, “Well, you just tell him.” All of the others looked at their eldest sister with a degree of amazement. It quickly fell when the Pegasus rider concluded with, “And if he rejects you and makes you cry, _I’ll kill him_.” To emphasize just how serious she was about that last part, she even punched her palm.

     Corrin chuckled anxiously, “I think that’s going a little too far…” But she turned her attention back to her shy sister, taking the girl’s hands into her own as she said brightly, “But she is right! You should tell him how you feel, but only when you’re ready. And regardless of what happens, we’ll all be here for you to love and support you.”

     The girl smiled as her face lost that scarlet hue, but then she frowned again and looked to Ryoma, “Big brother… Um… Is it okay that he’s not of any noble standing?”

     The eldest brother looked surprised, and then after a moment frowned and looked puzzled. It appeared that matters of standing and position hadn’t at all occurred to him, “I hardly see how it matters now,” he finally answered, “One cannot help their feelings during wartime, and far be it from me to forbid any of my siblings their happiness during this dark time.” The samurai’s expression softened as he looked at his youngest sister, “As much as I may not love the idea of my youngest sister in love with a man who I’ve no idea about, I’m not opposed to her being in love.”

 _That’s not what I first thought when you and Takumi looked like you were about to throttle someone!_ Corrin thought.

     But Sakura was happy with the answer, and happily went over to hug Ryoma with a great big, “Thank you, Big Brother!”

     Takumi rolled his eyes, “Oh geeze, this is turning into some silly romance novel stuff.”

     “Oh, like you’ve never had a crush.” Corrin badgered.

     This time, her younger brother blushed and stammered, “I-I haven’t!” Perhaps a little too cautiously, he looked to Azura, who tilted her head in puzzlement at the silver haired brother’s glance. Takumi stiffened and then looked back to Corrin quickly, “I really haven’t!” It was unconvincing enough for Corrin let out a laugh, which only caused her little brother to stammer, “What, have _you_?”

     All of a sudden it became less funny, and her laughter died down. Takumi smirked in satisfaction, and unwilling for her little brother to get the leg up on her, Corrin caved and said, “So what if I do?”

     This time, everyone else was now leaning in towards Corrin in anticipation. The dragon girl blinked, taken aback by how intense their stares were. She was already beginning to regret not letting Takumi have his last laugh. Again, she let out an anxious chuckle, “I mean, really, it’s nothing. It’s completely one-sided, I know that much is for-”

     Hinoka stood up, pulling a knife from her tall boot, “I’ll kill him.”

     Corrin stood up and ushered her sister back down, “NO, no, no, please don’t. It’s really not necessary.”

     “It’s true, it isn’t.” Corrin let out a sigh of relief at Takumi’s apparent support. That was, until, he finished with, “We don’t even know who it is yet.”

 _Oh gods, I_ really _shouldn’t have said anything._

     Luckily, Azura was there to see her suffering, and quickly said, “You know, Sakura planning to confess her love has reminded me of a song – would anyone like to hear it?” And with Azura being as talented as she was, Corrin was saved an embarrassing interrogation.

     From there, the rest of the morning passed pleasantly, and before the siblings all dispersed as noon broke, Sakura handed them all little bags of candy she had prepared for all of them shoul dher uting plan succeed. Everyone left in good spirits, glad to have had their family time after such a long time. And with some leftovers from the snacks Orochi had provided, Corrin decided to take a few of the riceballs to Lilith.

     “Corrin,” Azura caught up to her, “Would you mind if I joined you?”

     “Not at all, I always enjoy your company, Azura, and I’m sure Lilith does, as well.” The silver haired girl replied with confidence. “Also, thank you… for earlier.”

     The songstress smiled back, “You’re very welcome. But I have to admit it, it was all so unexpected - Sakura having a crush on someone, I mean.”

     And so they conversed about who Sakura’s beau might be as they walked to Lilith’s shrine, each having different guesses, but eventually coming to settle on it likely being Kaze. The way that Sakura had been so adamant at no retainers when she had come to get Corrin, and then subsequently blushing madly at Kaze’s hiding place when dismissed was enough for Corrin to think it a safe bet, anyways, and Azura agreed. When they arrived at Lilith’s shrine, they even went ahead and told the small dragon of the morning’s occurrences, and Lilith also couldn’t seem to be more delighted to hear of it.

     “That’s very exciting to hear! I hope she gathers the courage to tell him!” Lilith had said.

     Corrin nodded, “I do too! … But I have to admit, I feel like a bit of a hypocrite…”

     The dragon twirled around Corrin in concern, “A hypocrite?”

     Azura seemed equally concerned. “Why would you say that?”

     The silver haired girl brushed a hand through her hair and sighed, “Well, there I was supporting Sakura to tell her crush how she felt no matter the result, yet I’ve already given up on my feelings without saying anything. On top of already having someone, I think, I already know he’d be rude and crude about it, probably dismiss it as some sort of trap... not can I blame him. I’m suspicious as they come, taking in every Nohrian who begs for their life – even I could admit Zola was a huge mistake…”

     “Oh Lady Corrin, you mustn’t be so down on yourself,” Lilith said as she snuggled into Corrin and nudged the bottom of her chin in a cat-like fashion, and Corrin couldn’t help but let out a smile. “That’s no way to think, at all!”

     “She’s right,” Azura agreed, “The army follows you because of your kindness, and your willingness to see Hoshido and Nohr in peace. Everyone makes mistakes, and I’m sure you’re not the first person willing to believe someone’s kindness during a war. I think by the time we had arrived in Cyrkensia, Zola had convinced most all of us that he was on our side. If he hadn’t, more of us would have protested to his involvement in our plan against Garon. Remember, Corrin, you needn’t carry this burden alone.” Azura’s voice was resolute.

     Lilith nodded with the songstress’s words and came to face Corrin again, “As for that man, it may take a long while, especially if he’s noticed that some of your biases take precedents when you plan out attacks; but all that matters is that you learn from your actions, and make sure that your actions speak to him. Even if your love is unrequited and he has someone else, the best you can do is wish for his happiness then, right? It may hurt, but the least you can do is be a friend.”

     The last thing that Corrin had thought would be happening that day were lectures. But as she looked back and forth from Lilith to Azura, the silver haired girl couldn’t help but smile. No matter where she turned, she had more support than she ever could have dreamed of. Despite some draconic abilities, she was just as human as everyone else; able to be hurt, able to be fooled, able to love, and able to feel heartbreak. She would gain nothing by thinking herself a fool, for mistakes she made in the past and for loving someone who didn’t care for her. All she could do was keep moving forward.

     Corrin took Lilith in her arms and gave the dragon a hug, “Thank you, Lilith.” And she made sure to turn to blue haired friend and say, “And thank you, too, Azura.” Upon letting go of the dragon, she announced, “I can’t be faltering now, this army needs me! And as for Saizo, I’m going make a friend out of him yet!”

     Azura widened her eyes. “Saizo?”

     With a finger to her lips, Corrin winked, “Keep it a secret, please? The last thing I need is Ryoma murdering his own retainer out of brotherly wrath.” With a chuckle, Azura nodded, and Corrin went ahead and said, “I think I’m going to go make friends now! Don’t wait for me!” And she walked off, waving to her friends behind her as she left Lilith’s temple.

     All she had to do now was wait until she guessed Saizo was around, then she’d make a nuisance of herself until he showed up. After all, she’d been remiss and still hadn’t thanked him properly for carrying that trunk all those weeks ago. She could even share the candies that Sakura had given her earlier.

     With a plan set in stone, she was pleased to get the nagging sensation of being watched. With a big grin, she called out, “Saizoooooooo!” No response, but she hadn’t expected one either. “Hellooooooooo? If you’re watching, come out so we can talk!” Still no answer. She giggled to herself, and then finally bellowed, “SAAAAIIIIZOOOOOOOO!”

     “What do you think you’re doing?” _Ah, there we are._ She turned around to see the ninja, looking dour as always. “Don’t give my presence away like that.” He snapped.

     The dragon girl grinned. “Ah, hello, Saizo! I knew you couldn’t be far off.”

     He eyed her suspiciously, “What are you playing at, calling upon your watchman? This is very irregular.” The fact that she had a big, stupid smile on her face, while a nice change, was unnerving to him. He was far too used to seeing her acting so dolefully around him. While this was a welcome change, Saizo wasn’t sure what to make of it. It was actually making his heart pound…

     “I'm not playing at anything.” Corrin announced cheerfully, “I just never had the chance to thank you for carrying my things. To remedy that, I brought some mint candies. Would you like one?” She opened the bag that Sakura had given her earlier and held it out.

     The reaction was not what she had expected.

     Saizo had stepped back, staring at the bag as if she had been carrying a bomb. “C-candies…”

     Corrin’s heart began to sink, “Is something wrong?”

     According to Saizo, yes, there was something wrong. Sweets, candies – he couldn’t stomach them at all! “I don’t need your sweets! Eat them yourself!” He snapped automatically, immediately regretting it. The look on her face made him feel like he may as well have just slapped her.

     And that was definitely what it had felt like to Corrin. “S-sorry…” _So much for my grand plan…_ “I thought you might like them, but clearly I don't know you very well…” And again, she felt stupid. How could she expect him to trust anything she might hand him? Perhaps her negativity earlier was correct, much as she hated to admit it. “My apologies, Saizo. I'll find someone else to share them with.” It really stung, though. That outright refusal, just without a second thought… She bit her lip and looked away, absolutely refusing to cry over something this silly.

     It did not go beyond Saizo’s notice, and he was definitely wishing he hadn’t been so quick to shut her down. “Stop biting your lip that way. You're making me feel guilty.”

     “That’s easy for you to say, but…” _I really was hoping we could be friends, at least._ And she really didn’t want to risk any tears being seen by him.

 _She looks like she’s going cry._ As a ninja, he had done many things in the past. Making a woman cry was definitely one of those things. But he had never felt as absolutely shitty about it before as he had now. Unable to take it, he let out sigh that sounded more like growl, “All right, I’ll come clean.”

     Corrin didn’t understand, “What…?” She asked as she chanced a look at him, seeing him looking more resigned than upset.

     “I hate sweets.” He confessed.

 _Oh._ “Really?” Was that it? Was that why he had that reaction? She then remembered her earlier time with her brothers and sisters that morning, of a story that Ryoma had told her of Saizo’s reaction when he’d accidentally eaten something sweet. Corrin’s hand shot up to her mouth in shock, “Oh, come to think of it, I remember Ryoma mentioning that once! I had completely forgotten!” Now she felt dumb, but for an entirely different reason.

     “It’s not as if they’re poison… they’re just not to my taste.” Saizo said matter of factly, but the way he refused to meet her gaze as he mentioned it told her that he was still a bit embarrassed to admit. Because he was. The fact that he didn’t like sweets was common knowledge, really, but for some reason, admitting it to Corrin made him feel a bit self-conscious.

     But Corrin’s smile returned, “If that's why you refused candy, is it safe to assume you don't hate me?”

     Of course he didn’t hate her. All signs pointed to that maybe he didn’t hate her a little _too_ _much_. But he couldn’t exactly say that. In fact, Saizo couldn’t think of anything to say.

     She frowned again, this time annoyed at his silence. Maybe it was a bit too much to hope she could befriend him in one day, but the least he could do was say something. “I know you can't trust me because I was raised in enemy territory. But clinging to that conception of me is counterproductive.” Corrin’s heart began to ache. Friendship was admittedly not what she really wanted, but she knew it was pretty much the only thing she could hope from him. She had just hoped he wouldn’t be so stubborn in accepting her friendship. “It may take time before we reach a true understanding of each other... But until then, could you try to have faith in me?”

      “Hmph…” Now was as good a time as ever to tell her at least this much, “I’d already come to the same conclusion.”

     Evidently, it wasn’t what she had expected to hear. “What?”

     “My surveillance of you is over, effective today. You have free reign from now on.” He announced.

     There was a sparkle in her eye, but her overall expression remained cautious as she asked, “Does this mean you trust me?”

     Of course he did. “I wouldn’t go that far. It just means that I don't think a simpleton like you could be scheming anything.” He kept his words measured, not wanting to appear as if he was flustered by that hopeful look in her eyes.

     “Simpleton?” Corrin repeated, surprised. However, an amused smile played on her lips, “Don’t hold back, Saizo… But I’m glad you’re starting to accept me, though.” She was really glad.

     He was perturbed by how honestly content she looked, but he would never give that away. “I still expect you to remain on your best behavior, of course.”

     The way he said it almost made him sound like a teacher warning a child, and the former Nohrian princess couldn’t help but let out a chuckle as she said, “Of course! I wouldn’t want to lose your trust now that we’re friends.”

     The ninja stiffened, “Friends? Where did you get that idea?” He felt the heat rising in his face.

     “It seemed clear to me,” she stated happily. She took a step closer and peered up at him. “Do you disagree?”

     She was teasing him, and once he realized, he turned away and quickly said, “Think what you like, I’m leaving.” And then Saizo vanished, hoping that she hadn’t noticed the blush that had probably been peeking over his mask when she had neared.

     The only thing she had noticed was his vanishing act. “Saizo!” She called out to him, but it was impossible to force a ninja out of hiding. Rather than lament about it, she simply smiled to herself. “Very well, if he’s given me leave to think what I like, I’ll consider us friends.” Deep inside of her, it stung to know that it would only ever be friends, but she was still happy. Maybe not in the way that she had hoped and dreamed of, but she did have his support. Really, that was all she needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: I found out what was bothering me about this chapter and edited it to fix it somewhat. I feel it's a bit better now, not perfect, but better, and hopefully it reflects that. Editing a chapter this heavily part way through is unlike me, and for that I apologize.
> 
> A RANK ACHIEVED. I REPEAT A RANK IS ACHIEVED. Soon we shall reach the titular rank. SOON. Also, don't judge me for my Fates ships. ;w; Though if anyone is curious, all the ninjas married royalty. Corrin married Saizo, Sakura married Kaze, and Ryoma married Kagero. It's a conspiracy for ninjas to secretly rule Hoshido. :p jk I actually hadn't noticed I'd done that till afterwards, to which I said, "I love them all, so they all deserve good things." I also married Takumi to Azura just because I wanted to spite him and make him love NOHRIAN SCUM, and then it ended up being an otp and then I came to love the Takumans. I love everyone in these games too much.
> 
> Anyways, sorry for the delay in this chapter. It took me a little longer to write because things got a little off track of my outline in how I had to structure this, so I had to use my thinky bits more. I'm still not entirely happy with the outcome, but I am happy with the rank conversation, and that's all that really matters to me.


	7. Surveillance Conclusions

     Friends… Corrin had called them friends. Truthfully, Saizo hadn’t even considered that. Granted, he knew he had a habit of rebuffing any sort of indication that he was anything else other than a servant to Lord Ryoma – he rather liked being perceived as threatening presence that had a temper problem. It was true, but it also had the benefit of keeping most people at arm’s length from him. Which wasn’t to say he didn’t have friends; friends were not a foreign concept to him. Orochi, as problematic and infuriating as she was, was a friend. Mozu, from her humble beginnings, was a friend. Subaki, despite his swelled head, was a friend and a rival. But with them all, Saizo understood that his friendships would never, under any circumstance, interfere with his duty as a retainer Lord Ryoma. In fact, it was that same duty to their Lord that allowed himself and Kagero to continue a friendship and working relationship despite a rather messy romantic separation. Friendships, even amongst the ranks of ninja, were acceptable so long as they did not skew priorities.

     But the truth of the matter was, Saizo could not view Corrin as a friend. In fact, she was still very much a threat in his mind… Just, not a threat to Hoshido, or Ryoma. No she was a threat to himself, personally, whether she knew it or not.

     Saizo had fled to his quarters following his talk with Corrin and stared down the booklet of surveillance notes he had on her. He had separated it from the rest of his stack of notes, but had lacked the courage to continue reading through it. The scarred ninja had put it off for days now, rather afraid of what the rest of the pages might hold. However, it was becoming clear to him that to continue avoiding the booklet because of what he might find only served to be a distraction. Simply holding that conversation with Corrin had been a chore because he could not decipher his own… feelings.

     Hesitantly, he picked up the booklet and continued from where he left off.

     “Assisted Hayato in writing letters; patience of a saint.”

     “Handling Pegasi with Hinoka and Subaki; regularly tells each horse they’re her favorite.”

     “Sparring with Reina; seen the results on the battlefield; highly attractive.” That one was embarrassing.

     “Exchanging puns with Izana; painful to watch.” That one was doubly embarrassing.

     For the most part, all the notes continued on the same trend; all of them had addendums towards the end that seemed to be more than just a wary observation. There was no reason for many of these notes, especially the ones that regarded her as “pretty.” But each passing page made it worse. “Pretty” had begun to change into “beautiful,” and interactions with Silas had apparently become a trial for him to record when the Nohrian subtly hinted to Corrin underlying feelings she did not apparently notice.

     The more and more Saizo read, the deeper he felt the hole he was digging for himself was. These were the notes of a man who had begun with every intention of weeding out a spy, but then somehow turned into the recordings of a besotted schoolboy. Where had he gone wrong?

     But perhaps the worst offender: the absolute _worst_ one of all these notes: “She has a radiant smile.” And it was the worst one because it was the truest one. The first real smile she had ever shown him was after he had confronted her about Kotaro. He had thanked her for allowing him his vengeance on the man that had killed his father. And Corrin, who had refused to admit her hand in it, simply smiled at him. If his notes on his infatuation began around their time at Izumo, then certainly the trigger that had turned infatuation into something stronger had been that smile. The small upward tilt of her lips that had refused to admit her help, but graciously said “You’re welcome.” That’s when the hole he had dug had reached the point of no return. _That_ was where he had gone wrong.

     By the time he had finished the booklet on Corrin, he was fairly certain all his blood had rushed to his face. He had been correct in his earlier assessments: patterns and conclusions could be drawn upon secondary inspections. And the conclusion he had drawn was one he had no idea how to deal with.

     Saizo was fairly certain what he felt went beyond “friendship,” and that was an issue. Corrin was the sister of his Lord. Such feelings were highly inappropriate, and most definitely a conflict of interest. Even if he hadn’t been sworn to Lord Ryoma’s service, it was out of the question. He was a ninja, and she was a princess of Hoshido. As much as he addressed her casually as compared to her other brothers and sisters, there was no denying that fact.

 _She wouldn’t have me, anyways._ He concluded. After all, he had been the first to threaten her life, and certainly the longest to be suspicious of her. He had been nothing but hostile and wary of her. While she was kind to a fault, to worry for his life in battle and help in his vengeance, such kindness did not translate to reciprocity. The ninja was fairly sure that the girl certainly would not have considered attaching herself to him in any manner beyond friendly.

     The surveillance notebook became heavy in his hands, an ugly thing he needed to be rid of; a representation of his failings as a ninja.

     The small candle he had to light his just as small quarters during the night would cause the task to take longer, but it wasn’t something he’d dare to risk by taking it to a larger fire. He lit the candle, and then one by one, tore out the pages and burned them. Each paper that fizzled into ash at his feet was a sobering reminder of his duty. His first priority was Lord Ryoma and Hoshido. There could be no conflict of interest. He would dispose of those inappropriate feelings towards Corrin with the ashes of this booklet. A ninja did not indulge in lust or greed, and as the old Hoshidan proverb said, “No man has ever governed himself while his own foundations are confused.”

     He was Saizo the Fifth, retainer the Crown Prince and Future King of Hoshido, Ryoma. His foundations would not be confused.

     By the time he had finished burning every last page, a sizeable pile of ash had formed. He gathered it up in a rag and left his quarters, releasing the cinders into the air and letting the wind take them. There was almost something poetic about seeing them spread out into nothingness, but he was no poet, and the position of the sun told him that soon he would be taking over for Kagero. Because that’s what was expected of him, and it was an honor to have it. In fact, he even recalled Ryoma’s concern for his well-being as a ninja. A concern he shouldn’t have had to begin with. Much like his feelings for Corrin, it was time to set the record straight with Lord Ryoma on this matter as well, he had decided.

     When the scarred ninja relieved Kagero of duty, he got right to the point. “Lord Ryoma,” he called the attention of his liege. The samurai, who had been practicing his kata with a standard wooden sword, paused, and Saizo continued, “When you said I could tell you about any concerns I had...”

     Hoshido’s crown prince looked to his retainer and set aside the training weapon, eager to hear what his retainer had to say. “Has something come up?”

     “One minor thing, maybe.” Though in truth, Saizo had the feeling that to his liege, this may not be considered “minor.”

     “Name it. As I said before, I'll do anything in my power to address it.” Ryoma assured, the determination in his voice as strong as ever.

     “Then I’ll be frank,” the scarred ninja said, just as resolute as his lord, “I want you to do whatever you deem necessary without worrying about me.”

     Ryoma frowned, his face etched with concern. “Is there something you believe you can't discuss with me, Saizo?”

     “Not quite,” as in, it wasn’t quite a lie, but it wasn’t quite the truth either. “You said before that you don't think I'm paid properly. But from my perspective, I'm very well compensated.” That, however, was the whole truth.

     The frown upon the prince never left, and he said disbelievingly, “Really? It's not easy to make ends meet on a military salary…” It seemed as if the samurai was going through budgets in his head as he mentioned it.

     Kind to a fault. It really did have to be a familial thing. “I'm not talking about the financial end of things.”

     Thrown from his thoughts of numbers, again the prince frowned, this time with worry, “But what else could you be referring to?”

     “My heart. Certainly, a ninja's work is not easy. And never pretty.” Definitely not easy or pretty, sometimes it was easier to forget that one was human on certain missions. From that perspective, it was easy to see why Ryoma might think he had had any second thoughts about his occupation. “I think that's what gives you pause. Though as prince, you needn't give it a thought if you don't want to.”

     Ryoma looked as if he was trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, clearly confused and a bit agitated, “But it's normal to consider the well-being of my subjects. Especially my retainers.”

 _Definitely related._ “You call it normal, but it is not common.” In fact, he could recall his father telling him stories of all the various leaders and patrons he had had as a ninja. Very rarely did any of the men and women his father had served treat him as anything more than a tool to be used. Really, that’s what a ninja was supposed to be. Samurai had honor that conducted their code of conduct; ninja came from that same family, but derived their honor from taking the jobs that the samurai could not due to their code. They dirtied their hands so that their masters would not need to. “The great ninja who have borne the Saizo name pass into legend. Samurai boast that they will die for a truly honorable master, but so too will a ninja. To know ourselves and to serve a master who knows us is our greatest calling. For your part, simply continue to walk the path you have chosen. I find no greater joy than to help you down it from the shadows.”

     “Saizo…” Ryoma’s expression had softened for a moment, and then the prince smiled, content with what Saizo could only guess to be a renewed understanding. “Very well. I shall take your wishes to heart.” He nodded, then announced with all the regality expected of a Crown Prince of Hoshido, “Your reward for your service shall be that I walk a path that meets your expectations. Is that sufficient?”

     “Yes. I am blessed to be able to serve you.” And again, he spoke the truth from his heart. Ryoma was the future King, and he would be a fair and just king that would see peace return to Hoshido. As a ninja, Saizo’s first duty was to his liege. It would be impossible to make Corrin happy when his first responsibility would not be to her. This was how he justified it. Yet no matter how many times he went over how he burned every last one of those pages, of how duty would not allow him to consider Corrin as anything but a princess and respected sister of his liege, of how first and foremost his service could be to no others; no matter how true his words had been to Ryoma, a selfish and insolent part of him still wished to ask his lord for Corrin’s hand.

 _I am Saizo the Fifth, ninja of Igasato. My foundations are not confused._ He knew his place. And it was not with Corrin, much as he wished it to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: Just letting you all know that future updates may be coming kind of slow. I'm going through some really personal stuff right now; it's difficult to deal with. I'll keep the chapters coming but... just not near daily like they have been. Sorry.
> 
> I don't know if this chapter gave it away at all... But I really, really, really, LIKE REALLY, REALLY LOVE NINJAS. LIKE TO AN ABSURD DEGREE. Like I've read the whole bansenshukai degree. It's not a thrilling read by any means, but man oh man do I really love ninjas. And maybe I took a few things here and there when writing this chapter. But do you know what else I also really, really, really, LIKE REALLY, REALLY LOVE? The fact that Saizo fucking breaks everything that makes him a ninja in his supports with Corrin. It's effin' outrageous how totally STUPIDLY IN LOVE WITH HER HE IS (and I guess to any spouse really if you marry him off to anyone else, but I get yandere about my ships - only Corrin may have him). But to get to that point, I imagine it can't be easy. That said, I say this all, but I have to confess it wasn't something I thought too hard on till I wrote this story. About how that's mentally difficult to break, not about how stupidly in love with her he is. That much is super obvious. :P


	8. Interrupted

     “Oh woooow! All these colors and shapes are stunning! It’s beautiful!” Corrin was entranced by the little kaleidoscope, rotating it over and over slowly to catch every moment of the glinting pieces within the little tube. “This is really something else!”

     Kaden looked delighted to see Corrin fawning over it, “Isn't it? I adore these things. I've always wanted one to call my own. I found this one when we-”

     Saizo stopped listening in, finding himself irritated by the kitsune’s excited babbling. Even so, it was hard not eavesdrop on the two. They were close by in the group, all of them on their way with a supply caravan from town and heading back to into the Nohrian wilderness to meet with Lilith to return to the astral plane. For the most part, such trips were uneventful, and most took the opportunity to volunteer for such trips as reprieve. The scarred ninja wasn’t normally one to usually offer his services on such trips, but felt compelled to since…

     Well, if anything happened to Corrin, Lord Ryoma would surely be upset. That was it. Kagero was also present for a similar reason, no doubt; he knew the kunoichi had recently taken it upon herself to keep watch over their Lord’s sister.

     “Saizo, Saizo, look!” Corrin was excitedly coming his direction, holding the kaleidoscope out to him. “Kaden let me borrow it! It’s called a,” the girl paused for a moment, trying to remember the correct syllables, “Ka-lie-doe-scope? Yes, kaleidoscope! Take a look, it has all these shapes and colo-”

     “Mirrors.” Saizo responded quickly. The girl blinked at the sudden interruption, puzzled. He explained matter-of-factly, “Mirrors are in the tube; the end cell contains various colored glasses. When you turn it, the resulting reflections cause the images you see. It’s simple.”

     Her eyes had gone as round as saucers, “Th-that’s amazing! How did you know that?!”

     The ninja adjusted his mask, making sure the slight flush it hid could not be seen as he looked away from her amazed glance, “The properties of light reflection and mirrors are important for a ninja to know. It’s just standard training.” It was really nothing at all.

     “Haha, that makes sense then… Well, sorry for bothering you, just thought you might’ve enjoyed that.” Despite her words, she didn’t look like she’d been put out in the least. She was all broad smiles and excitability, and had been ever since she had claimed their friendship. “I had better go return this though.” She waved the trinket in her hand and then bounded off back towards Kaden, and the kitsune welcomed her back with a big grin and another animated tirade.

     “Pah, with how excited she was about it, you would think she’d be showing everyone that bauble.” Saizo commented to Kagero.

     The female ninja walked silently along, apparently lost in thought, and then said, “Have you… not noticed?”

     “Noticed what?” Saizo gave a cursory look around. Were they being followed?

     “… No, not…” she had begun, but then sighed and shook her head, “Never mind.”

     That tone of voice was recognizably irksome. It had been the tone of voice his partner often used when she had given up on arguing a point. In this instance, it had been especially agitating because they hadn’t even been arguing. He gave her a pointed glare, about to say ask what she knew that he didn’t… but it was then that he saw past his fellow retainer and into the forest beyond the path they were taking back to their appointed meeting with Lilith. There was something hiding under the cover of the brush, multiple somethings, moving this way and that. Apparently, they _were_ being followed. Sunlight had managed to pierce through bits of the shadows, and he recognized the gleam of metal. Kagero was quick to note his observations, looking over her shoulders and narrowing her eyes.

     “I’ll notify Corrin,” the scarred ninja said quietly.

     Kagero nodded, “I’ll tell Silas to prepare for defensive driving.”

     As if he hadn’t noticed anything at all, the ninja neared Corrin, who was still chatting to Kaden about the kaleidoscope. With quiet steps, he fell into stride next to her. She was quick to notice, but went about her conversation with Kaden as normal. The kitsune was too distracted with the sound of his own voice to really notice, allowing Saizo to unobtrusively alert Corrin of the situation, “Movement in the forest; likely an ambush; difficult to approximate numbers.”

     “I can smell a whooooole bunch!” Evidently, Kaden hadn’t been that distracted by the sound of his own voice. Regardless, it wasn’t exactly an answer that Corrin and Saizo had really been hoping to hear.

     Yet before they could discuss a plan, _wiz’t_ sounds pierced through the air as a volley of arrows flew at them. The group of caravan volunteers scattered; Silas had been notified by Kagero in time and had been prepared to swerve the horses, but most of their numbers had been caught unawares and unprepared as bandits began to swarm out from the forest. Kaden had happily transformed into his fox-like true self and ran ahead into the fray with excited laughter, while Corrin and Saizo fell into their supporting positions, prepared for any and all challengers.

     “We’ve got this,” the Hoshidan princess said confidently.

     The ninja let out a chuckle, “Heh, they won’t beat us.”

     While Saizo had at first disapproved of her constant insistence on fighting by his side, Corrin proved to an incredibly capable ally on the battlefield. To the ninja’s great surprise, the woman was able to complement his own manner of battle well, and because of that it had been simple to coordinate his own movements with hers. With each covering for the weakness of the other, their teamwork ensured that none of the bandits coming at them had never laid a finger on them. Untrained bandits such as these, however, were small fry – it was pathetic the fight they put up, and both Corrin and Saizo noted how their own surprised allies had already recovered themselves and taken the initiative.

     Still, the scarred ninja found himself always ready and willing to take to Corrin’s side in a fight. As much as he went on about how she was kind to a fault, it was amazing what a deadly adversary she was on the field. She was one that didn’t like to start fights, nor did she take enjoyment in the act of killing – but should someone present to her a challenge and threaten her life or the lives of those she cared for, Corrin dispatched her foes with extreme prejudice and without second thoughts. Her lithe form would weave around her foes with the Noble Yato gleaming in her hand as she struck them down quickly and efficiently, occasionally with her draconic side letting loose a brutal barrage of attack. The gleam in her eyes was that of determination, the means to an end, and the foes before her were in her way – she was a soldier on a mission, and she would crush her opposition. It was one of the things that, even after his self-imposed mandate to view her as the sister of his liege and not as a woman, he still could not resist viewing in her an admiring and extremely attractive light. To fight side by side with her in such times was a thrill and an honor.

     But sometimes, there was such a thing as a fight going _too_ well.

     “A Mjolnir?!” Corrin gasped. The sound of thunder cracked through the air as a thick bolt of lightning splintered across the field. The caravan horse whinnied and back up in fright as it was near shocked, sending it hurtling with its freight and Silas in the opposite direction.

     Kagero shouted something from her position, Kaden was making a sort of yipping sound from somewhere. The numbers of the bandits had thinned, from what could be told on ground level, but Saizo could only guess that the leader was the one with the tome that Corrin had seemed so alarmed on. Another shout from Kagero.

     He felt the hair on the back of his neck stand, enough warning for him, enough for him to know. Saizo’s body functioned on automatic; he shoved Corrin out of the way. Barely half a second afterwards, he had felt something slam into his back. Pain erupted from every single nerve ending in his body, searing through every part of him. While the shock itself had lasted only a moment, the pain continued as residual shocks still coursed through him. He didn’t know how or when, but he’d fallen to the floor, able to hear nothing but his own blood pumping in his ears. The vision in his one working eye had blurred from the pain, but he was still lucid enough to be able to register Corrin crouched over him, her silver hair spilling over her face. She had shouted something, but he couldn’t make out the words. Yet even in his barely coherent state, unable to see the details of her face, his muddied state of mind could only register how beautiful she was. That he had managed to take her out of harm’s way.

     It had felt like the world was slowly coming back into focus, but it had probably only a few seconds for him to be able to register words and their meanings again. His vision had cleared enough to make out the panicked expression on Corrin’s face, how horrified she looked. He didn’t understand why, not until a loud sound exploded through air nearby. The princess had whipped her face in its direction, an honest-to-goodness snarl of pure rage painted in her profile. “I’ll protect you.”

     Water sputtered around the Hoshidan Princess as a light flashed, and where once stood a small statured young woman now stood a large silver dragon, its tail whipping around in the air like an angry cat. Corrin had leapt away in her draconic state, he could hear the screams of panic. Somehow, Saizo had managed to push himself up to his knees and unsteadily followed the dragon’s movement. No longer human in appearance, but still a fluid form of righteous destruction. _Still beautiful._

     It had been the last coherent thought he’d had before another set of residual shocks surged through him, and fell into the sweet embrace of unconsciousness.

     Corrin had unleashed her draconic fury on the mage with the Mjolnir, his quick loss having encouraged what remaining bandits there were to flee. Even when returned to the form of a young woman, clearly the spirit of a dragon remained; her expression was strained as it attempted to appear calm and professional. It kept replaying in her head on an endless loop, Saizo shoving her out of the way only to see that bolt of lightning crash into him. How he had still managed to stand despite the convulsions, how he had managed to maintain a broken hacking sound over a scream, she did not know. And she didn’t really care. What she did care about was that the ninja was alive, and that the attacking mage was dead.

     “Where’s Azama?” She demanded as she swung the Yato out, flinging the viscera off its blade.

     The monk had been handling another one of their injured volunteers with his bedside charm on full display, but had quickly made his way over. A quick use of a festal later didn’t bring Saizo back to consciousness, but the frizzy haired nihilist barked out a laugh, “Aha, the universe isn’t done with this stubborn oaf just yet!” To which Corrin shot him a glare. It didn’t have much effect. “What a severe look! It might even frighten the socks off of Enma-ou!” Azama laughed again, “It seems this twist of fate left us a bit more scathed than we could have imagined! Lady Sakura should be glad to have so much business when we get back; a true reminder that the physical world really is so fragile.”

     She did her best to ignore the monk’s nonchalant humming as he helped her carry Saizo along to the caravan with their other injured. Being a proper commander, she tried to contain the upset she still felt and made sure the others were safe as well. Whether or not she succeeded in hiding her distress over one person, she wasn’t sure. They had fought side by side for so long, and then something like _this_ happened. Corrin was having a hard time with it. A strike from Mjolnir would obviously hurt, especially a critical strike like the one that hit him, but for the most part never fatal. She was sure even Saizo knew that. So why had he done that? _Gives a girl the wrong impression…_ the dragon girl thought as shit bitterly bit her lip, _I need to lecture him again._

     The trip back to the astral plane went without any other extra surprises, and the injured transferred to Sakura’s care at their small care station. Corrin had insisted on staying, but was told that Ryoma had a strategy he wanted to go over with her. Unwilling to keep her brother waiting, as well as figuring she did need to offer an explanation as to his currently downed retainer, she had left, but made sure to tell Sakura, “Tell Saizo that I wish to speak with him when he wakes.”

     And Saizo awoke with a start not long after she had left, wincing as he did so. There was a soreness all over his body, but the worst of it was located centrally on his back. He registered his surroundings as the care tent at the astral plane, and realized he was bandaged around his torso and his mask lowered but left on him – no doubt just so he could breathe a little easier during his time out. Steadily, the memories started to flow back in. There was a mage with a Mjolnir tome, and he had pushed Corrin out of the way and took the hit for her. The fogged memories of her stricken face, of her declaration of protection, of her dragon transformation… of last thoughts before the darkness took him.

     His first reaction upon those thoughts resurfacing was to bring his mask up back over his face to cover the redness that had no doubt spread over his expression. It was perfect timing, as well, as Lady Sakura has just noticed him, “O-oh, Saizo!” The youngest princess of Hoshido quickly made her way over to him. “How are you feeling? Is there still any pain?”

     The scarred ninja shook his head, “No. I’ll be fine.” He stood himself up, “I should get back to-”

     But the princess interrupted him, “Um, sorry, but my sister – I mean to say, Corrin… She said she wanted to talk to you as soon as you woke up.” The shrine maiden fidgeted, looking unsure about her next words, “She seemed… mad.” But then she caught herself and said assuringly, “Worried, though! But also mad… Um, I think she’s with Ryoma right now too, so… I think you can wait a bit… So maybe she’ll get less mad…”

     “Thank you, Lady Sakura.” Saizo nodded, already having an idea of what Corrin had to say.

     It seemed there was no escaping the argument of a ninja’s life being insignificant as compared to that of their liege… Yet Saizo couldn’t blame her for wanting to yell at him about it. In his mind, he was already beating himself over it. Because Corrin _wasn’t_ his liege. His body had just moved upon the realization of what was happening, taken the very survivable lightning bolt to the back for her. That was not an action he should’ve taken. But he had anyways. Automatically. Because he knew, from his burned surveillance notes, that Corrin was particularly sensitive to magical attacks, while his own magical resistance was higher. Ninja, after all, were masters of espionage, it wouldn’t do to be detected by magic. Why, despite his best efforts to deny himself thoughts of Corrin as a woman, did he still go out of his way for her like this?

     The fact that he had to wait for her to finish her business with Lord Ryoma was especially taxing on him. In truth, he had just wished to have their spat and get it over with. The faster he could return to his normal duties, the faster he could push these troublesome thoughts away. He had since changed out of his lightning scorched clothes and into less tattered ninja attire that would likely still have Oboro chase him down like a madwoman, but that didn’t take much time. And every task he undertook from then on seemed to be of so little import that his own inappropriate actions earlier in the day still haunted him.

     The sun was already coming down when he heard from Kaze that Corrin had returned to her quarters after her business with Ryoma had concluded. All too eager to get it over with, Saizo made his way to the door of her quarters. But as he approached, he immediately felt something was off. Through the door, he could hear something… the sound of Corrin’s voice…

     It almost sounded as if she was weeping. Had he arrived at an inappropriate time? Had she forgotten her summons of him? And _why_ was she crying? A knot formed in his stomach, a part of it upset as to not knowing the reason of her distress, and another part anger at the one who could’ve made her so upset. He knocked on the door. Corrin yelped from the other side. He heard the sound of movement, and then horrified gasp followed by more movement and then louder sobbing.

     Something was clearly very wrong. Without hesitation Saizo opened the door and quickly stepped in, looking around the room for any signs of treachery. All he could see was half of Corrin’s armor scattered about the floor and a shivering pile of sheets upon her bed where the sobbing emerged. There was nothing. He approached the sheets cautiously, “Corrin?”

     A hand shot out from under the sheets, a half loose bracer hanging off of the arm. “T-there!” The hand was pointing off to a wall. “R-right there!”

     Confused, Saizo looked to the wall.

     It was a cockroach. Not particularly sizeable, but not small either. One of the winged version of the vermin, simply upon the wall with its antennae moving this way and that. It took him a moment to realize that the bug was the source of her distress. And for the life of him, he could not understand how this was the same woman who had slayed men and ground them into the floor with the heel of her foot, who had transformed into a dragon and slain the mage that had been throwing lightning around. Brought to tears and hiding in her bed, utterly terrified.

     Wordlessly, he took a tissue from atop her vanity, went over to the wall, and squashed it. The remains were thrown into her fireplace. “It’s dead.”

     A red eye peeked from beneath the blanket pile, looking to where the roach had been on her wall and then to burning paper in the fireplace. The heaviest sigh of relief that Saizo had possibly heard left the girl’s mouth. A moment later, the blanket pile flew off, and Corrin had rushed up to the ninja, half of her armor still upon her and loose, but her expression looking as grateful as ever. What came next was a surprise to the ninja.

     Her hands had shot up to his face and began patting him gently. “Thank you! Thankyouthankyouthankyou – thank you soooooo much!” Corrin was chanting it gleefully, her fingers never once leaving the fabric of his mask.

     Normally, his first reaction would have been back away or slap her hands away, but the fact that she had even approached him and was now doing this was… honestly, it was completely out of nowhere. Enough so that words escaped him for a good few seconds, and when he was able to find them, all he could manage was an awkward and puzzled, “What… are you doing?”

     And then it finally clicked to Corrin that she was currently patting Saizo’s face affectionately. She stopped immediately and slammed her arms to her sides, her gaze now focused on a spot right between her toes. “I-I’m sorry. That’s just uh… I mean, back in Nohr whenever… Jakob, Xander, or Camilla killed those… things… for me. I kind of just always… It was automatic. I’m sorry.” She had been so shaken by the sight of the roach, she honestly hadn’t even really registered that it had been Saizo who had dispatched the creature. And that just made it all the more embarrassing. The last person she had ever wanted to see her in that state had just seen her hysterical in fear. Over an insect.

     The uncomfortable silence in the air was thick. Finally, Saizo managed to clear his throat and say, “You summoned me…”

     “O-oh, yes.” That’s right. She was _mad_ at him. All hesitation left her. Corrin stamped her right foot down before standing on her toes and staring him right in his one good eye. “I’ve told you before not to sacrifice yourself like that!”

     The immediate antagonism was enough to get Saizo on the defensive, “You are the sister of my liege and of importance to the morale of this army, in addition to being its commander,” he shot back, “Your life holds more value than mine.”

     Her earlier crying fit had left her eyes reddened, and now that she was upset it served to make her look almost intimidating. “Oh, would you just… stop! Stop with the duty! Just for once, care about _yourself_!”

     Saizo felt like he was being driven insane; her words were striking him far more than that lightning bolt had earlier. Because unlike their first argument, where he felt as if she had been attacking his honor, now he felt like she was attacking at the inner recesses of his mind at things she had possibly no idea about. About how he did want to desperately throw duty out of the window. But he couldn’t. And rather than argue the finer points of honor and duty, which she would rebuff as foolishness anyways, he simply said harshly, “It doesn’t matter. It wasn’t lethal.”

     Corrin was honestly using all of her willpower to keep from smacking him. And she almost had; her hand had risen, but rather than take out any sort of aggression upon him, her fingers ended up resting on the bandages around his torso, lightly tracing the ridges of the overlapping dressings. “But you were still wounded…”

     Silence again fell. Aside from being unable to put up much of an argument to her statement, since it was very true, Saizo suddenly found himself very uncomfortable. The feather light touch of her fingers was still felt through those bandages, leaving a tingling sensation on the skin underneath. He should’ve forced her hand away, but found himself unable to do so. Corrin, herself, has also become very aware of her fingers only bandages away from his bare skin. The damage he suffered, she knew, was all upon his back. The skin beneath the bandages was unscathed. The garb of the ninja had always kept his chest partially visible, but now she was here, so close, only fabric between her skin and his.

     The door to her room opened, “Lady Corrin-” Jakob stopped upon seeing Corrin and Saizo. The butler’s impassive face took in the view, seeing both his Lady and the dour ninja in such close proximity and red faced. The Nohrian retainer's expression never changed from neutral. “Pardon me, I didn’t mean to interrupt.” He went to close the door.

     “I-I was just leaving!” Saizo stammered.

     “You were?” Corrin looked at him puzzled, and then her flush went deeper. She drew her hand back to her side sharply and focused on Jakob. “I mean! Yes! Yes, he was! Have a good night, Saizo!”

     The ninja quickly brushed past Jakob, never once looking back. The first moment he was able, he had vanished. His head swam with everything that had just happened. Of the things that _might_ have happened if that butler hadn’t come in. How he had so desperately been so close to throwing any sense of propriety out the window. His mind had pictured it perfectly, of how he would tilt her head upwards and drawn down his mask; the feel of her lips upon his own.

     He was mortified with himself. To even fantasize of it…

     Saizo had managed to find the tallest tree he could find and sit upon the tallest branch he was able. The highest place he could ever manage to get to far away enough from Corrin, all in some attempt to clear his head. But there was no clearing his head. Corrin was too entrenched in the very recesses of his mind. That selfless woman who fought like a demon, who could bring about a swatch of destruction as a literal dragon, yet cared so dearly for the lives of her comrades, to see the war between Nohr and Hoshido end. That idiotic girl who was amused by kaleidoscopes and fearful of roaches. All her different facets, all incessantly gnawing at him, never letting him go. Burning that notebook had done nothing. No matter much he tried to deny it, tried to push away for her, it all came down to one, irrevocable fact: he loved Corrin.

     Saizo’s foundations were crumbled and confused; and there was only way to even attempt to rebuild them. Somehow, in some way… he had to tell her. The sooner he was rejected, the quicker he could lick his wounds and get back to business.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My aesthetic is Jakob wandering into intimate situations, never batting an eyelash, and just politely excusing himself out. I don't know why but I find the idea of it far funnier than I probably should. Maybe that's because it's 4:30 AM, but I doubt it since I was laughing way too hard about it earlier in my outline. 
> 
> Anyways, I'm sorry for the delay on this chapter. As I mentioned in the edit of last chapter, I had a very rough weekend. I'm still not entirely recovered from it, but life goes on, and I'm determined to finish this thing! And as of this chapter, we are actually slightly over halfway through! Again, I'd like to thank everyone who's read, commented, and left kudos for their support. I cannot begin to say how happy I am to receive such support; I'm honestly not used to it! I guess I should write more FE fanfiction! XD But again, thank you everyone. The support I receive from you all definitely contributes to how easy that has been for me to write, and I'm glad you're enjoying it. :3


	9. S-Rank

     “Hmmm… fourteen… fifteen…” Corrin’s eyes flitted from the inventory book she was holding to the stores of arrows that they had. It was dull work that involved opening large boxes and counting quivers before moving onto the next… But so far, as she closed the lid of the last store, it looked like hadn’t surpassed their normal usage rates, and that was very good. Money was always tight on Nohr’s end when it came to supplies, and while Hoshido didn’t seem to have the same problems, Corrin couldn’t help but want to help and make sure everything was in order. After all, back in Nohr she hadn’t been allowed to, and now, even though she was a commander of Hoshidan forces and didn’t have to relegate herself to inventory work, she still wanted to make sure played her part in all aspects.

     Still, counting arrow stores was taxing in its own right. The dragon girl’s head was swimming with numbers and additions and averages. While mathematics wasn’t particularly taxing on her, she couldn’t claim to enjoy it either. A break was in order, she had concluded, and she headed out of the armory stores. She had only been a few steps out when she paused, a familiar feeling of being watched nagging at the back of her mind.

     A small smile crept on her face, “Saizo, I know you’re there,” her voice had a lilting, almost sing-song quality to it as she called out to him. Jokingly, she added, “You’re not still spying on me, I hope.”

     The ninja emerged from the shadows hesitantly. Corrin noted that his mask was down, in an unusual occurrence, but he seemed to avoid making any sort of eye contact with her at all. “Forgive me. I didn’t intend to remain hidden for long.” He paused, unsure of how to continue. “I… came to apologize again.”

     “Oh?” Corrin approached him, confused. He seemed so out of sorts, and she had to wonder if he was feeling well.

     “Yes. I’m sorry I doubted you.” Saizo still couldn’t bring himself to look directly at her. For the first time in a very long time, he doubted himself. He was actually afraid of the possibilities – afraid of getting hurt.

     “Is that still on your mind? It ceased troubling me some time ago.” She said lightly. Corrin had gotten as close as she had dared to him, her own mind making an awkward recollection of how close they had gotten just a few nights previously. But she brushed that out of her mind, instead just trying to peer at the ninja’s face to see what was going on his head. Why, of all things, was he apologizing for that? The former Nohrian knew all too well why he had been so cautious – much as it did pain her due to her unrequited feelings, she understood, and didn’t blame him for such caution.

     Saizo actually managed to glance at her, “Still, I couldn't rest until I'd apologized.” Corrin had looked so genuinely confused. It was irritating how she dismissed it so casually! But, of course, she didn’t know the reason that it bothered him so much. He did his best to contain his agitation as he added, “If I wrong you in some way again, I expect you to let me know.”

     The dragon girl frowned. “It’s all right, honestly,” she assured. This whole situation was just too weird. Saizo, normally so unapologetic for any action he took on behalf of her brother, was insisting on saying sorry for perfectly acceptable behavior given his occupation. If anything, she had been the one acting childishly, always being so sad about it! Yet here he was, his mask off, acting weird, not looking at her… She had to ask, “I hesitate to mention this but… you’re acting oddly today. Why are you so determined to apologize?”

     If there was a time to say it, Saizo thought, it was now. While they were currently alone, with no one to see his obvious embarrassment, it was best to rip the bandage off quickly.

     Again, he looked away from her. “It’s because…” he could feel the blood rushing to his face as the words stuck in his throat. He had to say it. Get it over with. “Argh…” Why was it so hard to say?! The words finally managed to come out, tired and defeated, “I can’t rest, knowing the one I love may be upset with me.”

     Silence.

     Corrin stared. “The one you… what?” Had she heard what she thought she had heard? Was her mind playing tricks on her? Was she dreaming? She had to have heard that wrong.

     Why was she so dense?! Frustration took over as he looked to her and blurted out, “Gods! I’m trying to tell you I love you!” As soon as the words poured out of his mouth, he was certain that his face matched the color of his hair.

     Corrin’s own face was a similar shade. “ _W-what_?! B-but you were so suspicious of me!” Her heart was pounding in her chest. This had to be some sort of a sick joke! But Saizo wasn’t a joking man, and certainly would never say something like this even if he was.

     “That's why I must apologize!” He exclaimed quickly. “As I shadowed you, I saw how deeply you care about your friends. How you throw yourself into battle, willing to sacrifice yourself for the sake of peace.” The raw intensity that came upon her expression when it came to the defense of those she loved and her belief… How could he not come to love her determination, and everything about her?

     “Saizo…” She’d never seen him so earnest before. _This is… real?_

     “Seeing that made me eager to fight alongside you. To do anything near you, really.” His words came slower now, the shame he’d felt in loving this woman so far beyond him resurfacing. The scarred man looked away from her then, too cowardly to face her rejection head on. “But if you'd really rather I not, then I'll continue supporting you from the shadows. I may be better suited to that anyway.”

     He made to head off into the shadows again, but Corrin’s hand quickly grabbed hold of his wrist. She had no idea what she would say. Never in her wildest imaginings had she ever thought he would reciprocate what she had felt. She had always thought if he would choose anyone, it would have been Kagero, never herself. And now knowing that he had felt the same as her? She couldn’t let him go. “W-will you let me get a word in edgewise before you go deciding this?”

     “Corrin…?” Saizo had dared to look at her. Her face was flushed, the expression unreadable. But not because she felt nothing, but because it seemed she was feeling several things at once. He did not know what to make of it, his rational mind refused to accept anything but her rejection, but the unreadability of her face made him feel, dare he say it, hopeful.

     “At first, it was frustrating, the way you felt you needed to monitor me,” she began, and perhaps she was understating it. Yet the words continued on, without much thought behind them, “But you did step in to help when I needed it. And eventually... after a very long time... you started to believe in me.” And that was all she had wanted: his belief, for them to be on the same side. But now, here he was, saying that he loved her. That was more than she could ever ask for, more than she could ever hope for. How could she possibly say no when she had loved him for so long? “I want to be with you, too, Saizo. Do you trust me enough to give me your heart?”

     It had most definitely not been what he had expected to hear. With the harsh treatment he had given her for so long on the premise of her possibly being a Nohrian spy, Saizo had never once considered that she would feel the same. Yet the unreadability she had moments before was gone. That reddened face she wore was… sincere, and happy.

     Saizo defaulted to his normal gruffness, “Hmph, of course I do.” Yet even so, he couldn’t stop a small smile from forming on his face.

     “Good!” Corrin brightened, wearing that radiant smile he adored. The hand that had been on his wrist let go, instead wrapping itself up in his own hand. And then she stepped forward, barely inches between them. Her free hand traced the side of his face gently. “It warms my heart to see you smile… to know it’s because of me.”

     She clearly had no sense of shame, just saying things like that. “Gods, just listen to you…” He glanced away, his pride finally returning, but still too weak to allow her to see just how deep a shade of scarlet he could go. He pulled his mask back up out of reflex. “Don’t let anyone else catch you spouting such sugary nonsense.”

     Corrin giggled. _So I can say it all I want as long as no one’s around, eh?_ “Who would have thought the fearsome Saizo would be so shy?” It was something she never thought she would be able to say about Saizo, but he was adorable. And her heart swelled at the thought of it. She had seen this unexpectedly cute side of him; who else could claim that?

     He sighed, defeated. And even though his mask was back on, Corrin could feel the smile return to his expression. He looked back to her, that hard edge that was normally always present gone. “I guess I can’t be shy around you anymore, eh? I promise to tell you everything.” Though to his surprise, he saw tears at the corner of Corrin’s eyes. “Are you crying?”

     The girl blinked, then she chuckled and quickly wiped her eyes. “Aha, sorry, it’s just… I’m really happy. I’ve loved you for a long time.” It was still surreal to her. Was she just incredibly lucky?

     Saizo was puzzled. Not that he wasn’t glad to hear it, but he hadn’t expected it. “How long is a long time?”

     Corrin’s blush resurfaced then, deeper and redder than ever. This time, she looked away from him, “I… I don’t want to say, it’s embarrassing…”

     Well, she couldn’t get away with that. He tilted her chin to force her to look him in the eye, and gently he teased, “That’s not very fair; I promised to tell _you_ everything.”

     The former Nohrian princess’s brow furrowed, but her blush never left. _Cruel!_ But what else could she have expected from a ninja? And fair was fair. She cast her eyes downward, quietly saying, “… Since the day we first met.”

     He had to think about it for a moment. When they had first met? As he recalled, their first meeting was… “… You mean, when I threatened to kill you at the border?”

     Corrin’s hands flew to her face, “I told you it was embarrassing!” She just had to open her mouth and mention that! Right after they had both confessed, and now he would think she was… weird!

     But if anything, Saizo was amused rather than put off. Was it odd? Yes, yes it was. Back then, the feeling had most definitely not been mutual; he had been perfectly willing to kill her, and would have done so in a heartbeat had the Nohrian royals not quickly arrived with backup. To think that the girl who had stamped her foot angrily and demanded who he was had actually felt something for him then… It was downright absurd, really. But there were things about her that were absurd – how she was able to rend enemies to pieces, yet cower over a bug. This was a surprise… but at the same time, it wasn’t really. Especially considering just the other day, when Corrin had showed him the kaleidoscope before sauntering off and Kagero had asked him if he really hadn't noticed. Remembering all the sorrowful looks she had whenever he had openly suspected her. It had made sense, now, in a way that he would have never thought of otherwise if neither of them had admitted anything.

     Gently, he peeled her hands off of her face, holding them in his own. She was still incredibly embarrassed with her eyes downcast at a spot between her toes… Which meant he might as well do something to embarrass himself. As he’d implied earlier, fair was fair. With a sigh, he squeezed her hands lightly, “Who knew anyone could capture my heart; but now that you have it,” she glanced up at him, then, “I’m in the palm of your hand.”

     Again, her heart pounded within her chest. For all his talk of sugary nonsense, now he saying something like _that_!? But he seemed flustered too as he said it, so she couldn’t help squeeze his hands back and offer him a grin.

     And then something occurred to her. Something she wasn’t sure if she should be concerned about or not. And it was something she knew Saizo would most certainly be concerned about…

     “… We have to tell my brother.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE TITULAR S-RANK HAS BEEN ACHIEVED, PRAISE THE SUN.
> 
> I actually have little to say this chapter except that it was hard to write because I get second hand embarrassment, and both these characters were veeeery embarrassed. So ya'll are saved my post chapter ramblings for now. XD Have a good night everyone.


	10. Dogeza

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is super baby and I'm sorry for that. I'll go into why at the bottom, tho.
> 
> ALSO NEW AND IMPROVED - CHAPTER TITLES. Have fun with'em.

     In Saizo’s elation that Corrin reciprocated his feelings, he had actually completely forgotten about Lord Ryoma. The difference in status, he remembered, but the fact that he had deliberately declared his love for his Lord’s sister and now had to ask for her hand officially, lest he was willing to besmirch the honor of himself and Corrin – which he was staunchly against – was now a very real thing he had to deal with. While his own honor was in question due to very inappropriate feelings towards his Lord’s sister, feelings that could very well warrant in termination of his service at best and beheading at worst, he refused to act like he had none, and was not willing to drag the princess that he loved down with him.

     Being Ryoma’s retainer gave him the perk in that he knew exactly when and where his Lord was likely to be at all times, and which times would likely most be appropriate to him on the subject. And so, when an appropriate time came, Saizo let Corrin know.

     Lord Ryoma was currently with Lord Takumi in one of the leisure spaces of the fort, the two brothers playing shogi. Rumor had it, and Saizo could confirm, Ryoma lost almost every match, but apparently gleaned much from the lessons of shogi that his younger brother taught him. All in all, it wasn’t a bad opportunity to approach Ryoma on the subject, it just had the unfortunate downside of Lord Takumi also being present. But where one family member would find out, surely the news would spread at some point. It made no difference, in the grand scheme of things, whether or not any of the royal siblings found out earlier or later.

     The ninja and the princess stood down the hall, mentally preparing.

     “Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?” Corrin had asked him, straightening his kimono in her anxiety. While she had remembered Ryoma’s encouraging words to Sakura about how he was glad she had found love, what stood out more prominently in her mind was the killing intent both of her brothers had moments prior when Sakura had first admitted having feelings for someone.

     But the ninja shook his head, “No, I must address this to Lord Ryoma myself.” He would not have Corrin suffer any negative consequences.

     “I’m going to stay close-by,” she stated firmly. She glanced down the hall, then back at him. A smile came upon her face, an attempt at reassurance, but he could see her lips twitch with a tinge of anxiety, “It will all be fine.” The dragon girl nodded.

     From down the hall, a groan of defeat from Ryoma could be heard, as well as a triumphant chuckle from Takumi; an excellent time to interrupt. Saizo nodded back to Corrin, and then went on ahead. The sliding door was already partially opened, and the ninja figured it would do no good to knock on the door to catch their attention.

     “Excuse me, Lord Ryoma, Lord Takumi,” he began.

     “Ah, Saizo,” Ryoma glanced over at the partially opened door, looking overcome but, still able to enjoy himself, “Right at the perfect moment to see the board holding my crushing defeat.”

     “All it took was one slip of his lancers,” Takumi was immensely proud. “He hasn’t won a single game yet, today. What do you say, Saizo, want to try a game?”

     The ninja slid the door open and came into the room, shaking his head as he said, “I’m afraid I must decline, Lord Takumi. I apologize, but I have actually come because there is a matter I must discuss with Lord Ryoma.”

     “Oh?” Ryoma moved in his seat so that he faced his retainer, while Takumi went ahead and began to reset the shogi board. The samurai gestured for Saizo to continue, “Please go on, whatever it is you wish to discuss, I am more than willing to address.”

     It was at this point that Saizo fell to dogeza position, kneeling on the floor and bowing deeply enough so that his forehead touched the ground. “Again, I must apologize, Lord Ryoma. I am about to request of you something I should not, and beg your forgiveness for my insolence,” Saizo could not see the confusion on his Lord’s face, nor Takumi pausing in his resetting of the shogi board due to his piqued interest in the situation. Again, Saizo felt that lump in his throat that nearly stifled his declaration of affection to Corrin, but he fought it off and finally said, shakily but determined, “I would request the hand of your sister, Co- _Lady_ Corrin, in marriage.”

     Shogi tokens fell through Takumi’s fingers as his mouth hung, gaping at what he had just heard. Ryoma, likewise, was surprised, but it took the form of mild shock upon his expression. The High Prince had never considered his male retainer a fellow interested in romance, let alone capable of interest in one of his sisters. A part of him was honestly irritated, but a greater part of him was actually more willing to accept the idea of it than he had initially thought.

     While Takumi was looking from retainer to his brother and trying to read the situation, Ryoma honestly considered it. To Saizo, it had felt like an eternity. But after that eternity, Hoshido’s future king spoke, “As far as a retainer goes, both you and Kagero are exemplary; I could not ask for better service. You are loyal, determined, and eager to see Hoshido continue to prosper, regardless of the sordid work you must undertake. I can only imagine that as a man, you would offer my sister the same care and devotion, and will strive to see her happy. And as a brother, that is all I seek for her.”

     The ninja glanced up at his Lord, seeing Ryoma smiling with a sort of pride behind his gaze. It had not been what Saizo had expected to hear, but he had to confess that he had no idea _what_ he had expected, just that is was likely to be negative.

     Ryoma had not finished, however. He frowned, “However, I cannot bring myself to grant such a request without consulting my sister-”

     Corrin peeked out from the corner of the door. “Ah, erm, hello, Ryoma… Takumi.” She nodded, bringing her hand up and dropping it quickly in an awkward and half-hearted wave. Both her brothers stared, startled at her sudden appearance. Even Saizo chanced a small look over his shoulder, though less surprised and more embarrassed that she had to come in anyways for this. The girl stepped in, the knelt down beside Saizo, placing an encouraging hand upon his forearm whilst giving him a reassuring smile. After that brief moment, she then faced forward, her expression unwavering.

     And then her own head was pressed down against the floor in her own clumsy dogeza. “Please, Ryoma! Please allow me to marry Saizo!”

     The thick and uncomfortable pause was only broken when Takumi pointed wildly from Saizo to Corrin, “H-how long has _this_ been going on?!” The youngest Hoshidan prince seemed absolutely flabbergasted.

     But Ryoma held his hand up in gesture for Takumi to cease his questioning, and then looked back to his sister and retainer. The two, with both their heads pressed to the ground, had obviously been very concerned about how he would receive their affections to the other. He couldn’t help but laugh, “Raise your heads, both of you!” He said jovially, “Going this far? Really, there was no need to! Surely you haven’t forgotten what I told Sakura, Corrin? To find love during these dark times is a precious thing indeed, I would never dream of taking that from you! I couldn’t be happier myself, knowing that both my sister and my retainer managed to find such joy with each other!”

     Ninja and princess rose, both flustered and anxious, unable to make proper eye contact with anybody, nor find words to really communicate properly.

     “Takumi!” Ryoma exclaimed, “Go get Hinoka, Azura, and Sakura, they need to hear of this as well! It’s always good to get started on the planning early, and a woman’s opinion is the most desired when it comes to ceremony.”

     “Planning, My Lord?” Saizo asked cautiously, dread welling up in the pit of his stomach.

     Takumi had already run out of the room to find his sisters as Ryoma nodded happily and answered with, “Yes, planning! You and Corrin are marrying, and only a proper ceremony will do. We won’t be able to manage to return to Shirasagi for the wedding, but I imagine one here at camp will be a great morale boost for the army!”

     “W-wait, b-but aren’t we in the middle of a war?!” Corrin stammered. It was true she had most definitely wanted to marry Saizo, but she was pretty sure that both of them hadn’t expected for an official ceremony to take place until after the war with Nohr was done, if at all. Corrin was well aware Saizo preferred to stay out of sight, she was perfectly willing to sign a marriage certificate and be done with it. “Is planning for a proper ceremony like this really appropriate?”

     “But of course! You are my sister, and Saizo, my retainer!” It was clear from the High Prince’s genuine glee and the slight exertion of force within his voice that neither his sister nor retainer would be arguing with him on this point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, as I mentioned before in the very first chapter footnotes before I unfortunately had some ISSUES with them and was forced to delete them, and I think maybe in another footnote I mentioned this too, this story had originally been planned to be placed in the Revelation timeline. I chose Revelation because to me that is the "true" timeline, in which the core problem of all games is truly solved. But trying to figuring out how to work everything out became a huge chore, and I didn't want to think too hard when I wrote this. As such, this chapter is really short because I had originally planned for Saizo to approach both Ryoma AND the Nohr family. And it's a real shame I can't do that here, because I had such a plan for Xander, Camilla, and Leo to glare while Elise was like "OMG MY SISTER IS GONNA GET MARRIED, I'LL HAVE A NEW BROTHER AND HE'S A NINJA! YAY!" Unfortunately, that isn't to be. I considered doing a separate story just for this instance, but I'm not sure if I will do so. I would love to see anyone else's interpretation on it, tho! Also yes, Ryoma is totally holding a metaphorical shotgun to Saizo's back. I mean, Sumeragi's not around, SOMEONE has to do it. jkjk
> 
> Anyways, because of that, this is a baby, piddly widdly, teeny weeny chapter. I AM SORRY. But the next chapters we will get back to our regularly 2-4k length chapters. Thanks for reading, everyone!


	11. Married

     A Hoshidan wedding, Corrin would learn, was very different from a Nohrian wedding. Granted, her own exposure to Nohrian weddings was limited to small ceremonies between servants at the Northern Fortress, but as she sat with her family and Oboro, getting everything explained to her, she learned they were quite different. The wedding outfit, alone, anyways, was a completely different animal than what she had expected.

     “And this,” Oboro had pointed to her sketches on the papers scattered about the table, specifically at the headpiece in one. “This hat is called a _tsunokakushi_ ; it has a bit of a funny story behind the name.”

     Everyone around the table was either giggling or stifling chuckles. Corrin gave false frown, “I’m almost afraid to ask.”

     Oboro grinned, “It’s supposed to hide the bride’s horns of jealousy!”

     Takumi snorted audibly, Hinoka and Azura laughed a bit, while Sakura and Ryoma still continued to keep their amusement to themselves. Corrin wasn’t at all sure if this was serious or not, but she looked carefully at the drawing and the hat. Her frown deepened, and then she looked to the seamstress and said, “No. The hat won’t work at all.” And without warning, she willed her draconic horns to form atop her head. She pointed a finger at them and said wryly, “I don’t think any hat will be able to hide _these_.”

     At this, even Ryoma and Sakura could no longer hold back. Everyone had fallen into a fit of laughter, and Corrin couldn’t help but laugh along with them, even with her horns no longer present. It was only after everyone managed to catch their breaths that Corrin was given an explanation for the “horn hiding hat,” which had apparently dated back to a time when Hoshido believed that a bride’s place was to be obedient and docile to her husband, and if she wasn’t careful could turn into a jealous demon. Everyone had agreed that the sentiment was extremely silly, but it certainly made for interesting experiences when the bride herself was a dragon.

     It was then back to business, and Oboro pointed to specific parts around the collar and hems of her designs. “Pure white isn’t the only option - it’s actually very in fashion now for brides to have accent colors. Red is the most popular since it denotes luck-”

     “Blue,” Corrin responded quickly. “I… I want blue.” It had been the first color to pop into her head. A reminder… a tribute to someone unable to come. “Blue like… what Mother wore.”

     Where the room had been filled with mirth just moments before, now a thick silence fell over everyone. All the eyes of the Hoshidan siblings fell downward, each recalling Mikoto; as a mother, as a mentor, as a queen. Corrin bit her lip, trying desperately to contain tears that threatened to spill at the remembrance of the Mother she had barely any time with. Of the mother who had spent years awaiting the day she would see her daughter again. Had Mikoto hoped that when Corrin came back, she would be able to see her on her wedding day? And _that_ was thought that finally broke the dam. The tears streamed down.

     Sakura’s comforting hand came to her shoulder, the young princess’s expression somber but telling her, “It’s all right.” A glance around showed looks of support from everyone else as well: Hinoka managing to put on her tough smile, Takumi nodding his encouragement, Azura directing a soft smile her way; and finally, Ryoma’s gentle expression, followed by a rifling through his pocket. To her great surprise, her elder brother took an envelope out and handed it to her.

     Corrin wiped her tears and took the envelope, seeing written upon it “To Corrin, when she becomes a bride.” She blinked her confusion.

     “As I’m sure we have mentioned before, Mother had the gift of Prophecy. Yukimura found several letters such as these while going through her belongings after her passing.” For a moment, Ryoma seemed uncomfortable as he added, “There is one for each of us…”

     Hinoka immediately flushed at the statement, and quickly looked back to Corrin, “Well, open it up! What does it say?”

     The envelope in Corrin’s hands was almost like a precious treasure. Gingerly, she opened it up and took out the paper, unfolding it and readjusting herself to reading Hoshido’s vertical script. Her siblings all converged closer to her, curious as to the contents. The silver haired princess had intended to read it silently to herself at first, but seeing as her brothers and sisters seemed as if the world would end before she could pass it around, she read it out loud:

 

_“To my dearest Corrin,_

_I always knew you would come back to us someday, though the time was always so indeterminable. And while I know, upon receiving this vision, that I will not be present for your wedding, you must know how happy I am for you. For both you and Saizo. I know you’ll have many happy years ahead of you, and your father and I couldn’t be prouder that you were able to find such happiness in each other. Please know that while we are not there physically, we will be present at the very least in your heart and memories. We loved you so much, Corrin, and we always will._

_Your Mother,_

_Mikoto”_

 

     As short as the letter was, it had been difficult to read. Several times, Corrin had to pause to catch a breath. This bittersweet letter that her mother had written for her, because she knew that she would not be there for her daughter’s wedding. But most importantly, to remind Corrin that she and Sumeragi were still there, loving her from the afterlife, proud of her.

     For a moment, it seemed as if the room would become a mess and outpouring of emotion. Corrin, at the very least, had not been the only one choked up. But Oboro was quick to interrupt and point out that she still had a kimono to design, and the room fell to lightheartedness again.

* * *

 

     The correspondence that Saizo had initiated with Igasato was made substantially easier thanks to the assistance of Lilith, he just hadn’t expected that the village would be so… prompt in their responses. Naturally, they would be inquisitive – a ninja village was not open to just anybody marrying into it, and when the leader of the village wrote back to the council in charge while he was away that not only was he going to marry, but marry a Hoshidan princess? He had expected more of a delay in response as they weighed the pros and cons of such a situation.

     Instead the replies had been swift questions. Which princess was it? What was the bride’s physical condition, her feelings on her children potentially carrying the Saizo line, any hereditary illnesses in her family, and so on. All very eugenic questions to assure that the ninja lines would continue. All of which he could respond in confidence that, if anything, she was likely one of the greatest assets the village could ask for due to the whole “she can turn into a dragon” thing. Of course, that wasn’t why he was marrying her, he truly did love her, but the village needed the assurance that she was an acceptable addition.

     Naturally, he and Corrin had already spoken about many of the village’s own concerns. They had both agreed that they would like to have children, but after the war. Not being heir to any throne, she was also agreeable to their firstborn son becoming the next Saizo. And while such times were far off, he had to admit that some part of him… actually looked forward to it. A promise of better days yet to come.

     He finished the letter of response to Igasato and gave it to Lilith with his thanks, and the dragon went off. With that business concluded, for the moment, he left to meet with Corrin. He knew that she was meeting Oboro and the rest of Hoshidan royal family concerning the wardrobe. He had to be honest, he was rather glad that men’s dress was fairly simple, but certainly hoped that Corrin wouldn’t be too uncomfortable in the ensemble. It was his understanding that bridal kimono had more layers than the average.

     Corrin in a bridal kimono, though… It was definitely worth a pause to consider the image, but he, out of some sense of self-embarrassment, kept walking and attempted to brush it out of his mind. He’d be seeing it soon enough anyways, there was no need to picture it.

     Saizo arrived at their meeting place to see Corrin waving Oboro off. When the dragon girl saw him, she lit up. His heart thumped a little faster in his chest at that, wondering if such sensation would ever wear off every time he saw her.

     “Did you hear back from your village?” She asked as she approached.

     He nodded, “Yes. They’re very curious about you, but there seem to be no objections from their end.”

     “Hmmm, but what if there were?” There was a glint in her eyes, a teasing tone in her voice.

     “They would have to get over it.” It was the truth, too. He had already broken all sense of propriety upon confessing to this woman and then begging his Lord for her hand, if his village had any complaints about it, what was one more hurdle? But despite that teasing smile and lighthearted laughter, he still saw it: the red puffiness around her eyes. “You were crying earlier.”

     She froze for a moment, looking downwards and quietly saying, “Earlier, when we were making the plans for the colors of the kimono… We ended up talking about Mother.” Ah, that explained it then. He supposed he could understand it. Both his parents had already met Enma-ou, but that was years ago. For Corrin, the loss of her mother was still raw. But then the girl shook her head and looked up to him again, “But I know everything is all right. Mother and father both are still here in their own way. They’re happy for us, I know it.”

     “Something’s still bothering you.” The ninja could still detect it. Those days when both thought the other’s feelings were unrequited had gotten him far too used to seeing her hide those troubled looks. Well, hide was perhaps too strong a word to describe it.

     Hoshido’s middle princess chuckled nervously, “Aha, you caught me…” She twiddled her fingers, “I just… my other family can’t be here for this either.”

     Other family. The Nohrians. It was… a bit more difficult to be sympathetic to that notion. He wasn’t exactly fond of Nohrians, something she could attest to firsthand. But those Nohrians were precious to her, despite the danger they consistently proved to be. And Saizo honestly wasn’t sure what to say to this – he wasn’t exactly Mr. Sentiment.

     And perhaps she sensed that, as she peered up at him and gave him an almost pitying look, “I can handle it.” There was a sad optimism in her voice, but she genuinely believed it. She stood on her tip-toes and wrapped her arms over the back of his neck, and he automatically put his own hands on her waist. As they held each other close, she smiled at him in that way that made his heart race. “One day, when this war is over, I plan on introducing you properly to them.”

     That would be something… but he really did admire that positivity.

     The positivity dropped, however, when her expression turned to a pout. “Will you be wearing _that_ during the ceremony?”

     He blinked. “That?”

     One of her fingers tapped his cheek, and he realized she had been speaking of the mask he always wore. Saizo had to admit, he still didn’t quite understand. “Yes?”

     Corrin’s frown grew deeper, “Why are you always wearing it? You’re so handsome without it!”

     He flushed, his one good eye averting her gaze. “Erm, that’s… why I wear it…” he admitted.

     “Ah, I see… Turnip collecting must be a family tradition if you’re not careful, eh?” Her joke did have some level of understanding to the situation, but coming from her it made his face burn further in embarrassment. The levity was dropped, however, as she began, “In all seriousness…” The tone in her voice had him direct his gaze to her again, seeing that she wasn’t looking at him per se but his collar bone, “You wear it so often, I feel like… like it’s a bit of a wall, sometimes…”

     Saizo was not one that liked attention. It’s why he wore the mask in the first place, it made his job a lot easier if people thought he was as approachable as a cactus. Which wasn’t to say he wore it all of the time, of course he didn’t. But generally, it was always on him, and no one ever had any reason to point it out. Corrin, however, was the woman he was going to marry, the person he was supposed to be the closest to. Her point was valid. In fact, he realized something. Despite the fact that they both admitted their love for each other and were even getting married, the relationship so far had proven remarkably chaste. Holding each other close and entwining fingers were really as far as they had gotten in a physical sense. Clearly this needed to be fixed. Immediately.

     He pulled down his mask, and then tilted her chin upwards so she was looking right at him. “I want to reduce the distance between us.” And then he kissed her. Briefly, he remembered the moment long ago when he thought he could never do so. Where he had fantasized about how her lips felt against his. They were as soft as he had imagined previously, but also had a sort of sweetness to them. The one exception he’d find to his hatred of sweets, because hers, he knew, was addictive.

     When they parted, her face was as red as his hair. He smirked, “That did the trick.”

     Corrin, still flustered, mock smacked him on the chest. “ _You_ …!” He chuckled at her reaction, finding it rather adorable. But after a moment when she regained her composure, a small smile graced her lovely face. Still a bit embarrassed, she peered up at him, “You can kiss me again, you know…”

     And he was going to, until-

     “Pardon me… I don’t mean to interrupt.”

     Saizo glared at Jakob. The butler paid no attention to him, and Corrin ended up looking over her shoulder, embarrassed yet again, “O-oh, sorry Jakob, I hope we didn’t keep you waiting.”

     “Not at all, Milady. I just so happened to have passed Orochi by and she wanted to me to give you these…” 

* * *

     The day of the wedding finally came, and Corrin ended up being the one with fewer butterflies than Saizo. Her husband to be never was fond of having attention on him, and even though this was a small ceremony within the camp, the fact of the matter was, the whole camp was there and, to Corrin’s surprise and delight, he had forgone his mask. Luckily for him, the ceremony itself was short.

     Izana officiated, with Sakura assisting. The _san-san-ku-do_ ceremony of sake was done, this time with Corrin being the bundle of nerves since she had never even seen a Hoshidan wedding before and certainly hadn’t expected the first time she saw one to be her own. It was her understanding that this part was one of the most important parts of the whole ceremony, and to her great relief, it all went smoothly. From there, Corrin and Saizo approached the altar and exchanged their vows and then offered their thanks to Ryoma for his blessing of their union. And then offerings to the gods were made, and the main ceremony was finished.

     From there, the standard wedding party ensued. No matter what kind of wedding it was, Corrin learned, people certainly did love to have fun at the end of it. Saizo wasn’t, clearly. He was very antsy, and certainly not fond of having to stand around as people walked up to them and congratulated them. But he dealt with it all fantastically despite his discomfort, and Corrin made sure to let him know how proud she was of him.

     When the party had begun to die down, they took their leave. At that point, even Corrin had begun to tire of being around so many people at once. Neither had quite expected the ambush that occurred as they were headed to their room.

     They had heard a series of _thumps_ behind them on the floor, but the time Corrin managed to even get a look over her shoulder, all she could see was Oboro and Orochi making a mad dash their way. Oboro was quick to grab Corrin by the arm and drag her off, leaving a surprised Saizo getting pushed into their room by Orochi as she heard the purple haired fortune teller say, “You just wait in there~” before catching up to them. Corrin was still incredibly confused as the two women pushed her into another room.

     “Huh?” Was all Corrin could manage.

     Quickly, and without much explanation, Oboro immediately began making adjustments to the kimono. But Corrin immediately grabbed hold of the woman’s wrists and stopped, “Waaaait! What’s going on?!”

     Orochi giggled, “Well, it’s your wedding night!”

     Corrin had a feeling she knew where it was going, and she blushed, “So?”

     The blue haired woman looked at the princess matter-of-factly, “Listen, in Hoshido premarital relations are fairly normal – but the wedding night is still special.”

     The statement was enough to drop Corrin’s guard, and Oboro then stuffed her hands into Corrin’s obi and pulled out the _himo_ cord, ensuring that really the obi was the only thing holding the kimono together. Corrin had stuttered, her mind swimming in embarrassment. This was certainly news to her, but she hadn’t exactly asked. All she knew was that in Nohr, a woman’s chastity was always prized and had to be kept until marriage or concubinage. “N-nothing like that’s happened!”

     Orochi then went ahead and undid the pins in Corrin’s hair as Oboro continued to make small adjustments here and there to the fabric of the kimono. Chuckling at the princess’s embarrassment and she mussed her hair a bit she replied with, “I know, I know, but the fortune I drew for you tonight looked very… well, fortunate!”

     The princess’s face burned further, but she no longer attempted to stop either woman from their aim, lest she delay her escape further. Eventually, both women stepped back and admired their work, though Corrin honestly felt like she was a bit of a mess. The kimono was literally now only held with the obi, the knot of which had been changed to that of a slipknot; not to mention the kimono was loosened significantly so that she was showing far more leg than she was supposed to in the outfit when worn properly. Meanwhile, Corrin’s unpinned hair fell to its natural waves, but Orochi had gone out of her way to ensure there were a select few and carefully placed fly away hairs. Excitedly, the women now pushed Corrin along back her room, opening the door up and giving her a well-meaning shove inside, then quickly closing it behind her.

     Saizo, who had been sitting on the edge of the bed patiently turned her direction, saw her, then quickly faced forward again, sitting up a bit straighter and perhaps a bit flustered. Corrin couldn’t blame him. While the intention of Oboro and Orochi was sincere, they likely made this event ten thousand times more awkward than it needed to be. Just as embarrassed, she plopped down right next to him. Neither said anything at first.

     “Oh, um…” Saizo began to fish through the sleeve of his kimono, “I have something for you…”

     Corrin looked to where he searched, and soon after his hand came from his sleeve, holding out a whistle to her. She took it from him, tilting it this way and that, seeing nothing out of the ordinary about it. But knowing Saizo, it likely wasn’t what it appeared to be, so she asked, “It’s a whistle?”

     He nodded, “It was an experimental whistle designed for the royal family. Once you use it, this one will emit a sound only I can hear. I can hear from anywhere so… if you use it, I will come to your side as quick as I am able.”

     The princess looked from the whistle to Saizo, then back to the whistle, twirling it in the air as if it were now gold-plated. “R-really? You’re giving me something like this?”

     “Queen Mikoto was against their usage, so they were never used. I thought it fitting to give it you, however, since…” a flush came over the ninja’s face, “Well, you’re my wife now.”

     She was his wife. Yes… And he was her husband. The reality of it had finally set itself in Corrin’s mind when he’d said it. They were married. The butterflies in her stomach threatened to lift her and throw her into a giggle fit, but a better idea had crossed her mind.

     She set the whistle aside on the night table, and then she went ahead and straddled herself over his lap. Saizo made no objections, in fact, his automatic reaction had been to place his hands on her hips, as if to help her keep balance, even though his face was still a bit reddened. Corrin had no doubts that she had her own blush, but she wrapped her arms over the back of his neck, holding him close. “Shall we do what husbands and wives do, then?” She asked.

     Saizo wore that smirk he always did when he was in one of those teasing moods. “Let’s.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO THIS CHAPTER took forever and I am sorry. Classes started up for me again so it's been a bit of a mission trying to manage graduate classwork with this. To top it off, I live in South Florida! So Hurricane Irma is looming over me like a creepy stalker. That said, I wanted to get this chapter BEFORE Irma hit, because I'll likely be without power for weeks. As such it can be a bit rushed - for example, I finally gave in and broke my continuous flow that I've painstakingly maintained these past ten chapters and made segments. And there are definitely parts I wish I could have dwelt on and stuck a bit more time in. But the hurricane makes landfall tomorrow, and I don't want to risk delaying this any further since my power can literally go out at any moment at this point. Whatever the case, I'm sorry for the delay! For my fellows who will also be struck by Irma, please stay safe!
> 
> But there's one more reason why this chapter took so long to write... And I'll announce it here, even though you won't actually see it until this story is done: I'm writing some more Corrin/Saizo! A whole chunk of the beginning is actually already written and just needs to be poured over for editing and whatnot. So once this story is done, most of that one will already be done, if not completed! Which means you get sweet, sweet regular updates. Please look forward to it! 
> 
> My commentary on the chapter itself? I'll keep it simple. First off, my graduate focus is actually in Asian Studies, specifically Japan, even more specifically kimono. You don't understand how HARD I WANTED TO RANT AND RAVE ALL ABOUT BRIDAL KIMONO. I could've made this a whole chapter of Oboro going on and on about bridal kimono. But I didn't. YOU'RE WELCOME. Two, after having poured through ever piece of dialogue in the whole fucking game in all versions between ALL CHARACTERS to make sure I do this story correctly, all I can say is: Saizo is a fucking tease. So I can only assume that married life with Corrin is a back and forth of these two constantly embarrassing each other. Three, Jakob wandering into intimate situations and never batting an eyelash is my aesthetic. He may not have politely excused himself this time, but man did I just want him to waltz on it and be a total cockblock. I should make a whole separate fanfic of Jakob doing this; he's just enough of an asshole to actually do this, I believe it.


	12. Shattered

     In the months that had passed since Corrin married, she felt as if the world had become a brighter place. Despite the fact that they still were crawling their way into Nohr slowly, making their progress to end a bloody and far-too-long war, she felt as if there was now even more reason for her to continue forward. If the war kept on, after all, she wouldn’t be able to start her own family with the man she loved.

     But perhaps what made it seem even brighter was that, although Saizo and Corrin had been the first to admit their affections for each other and marry, it ends up they broke the dam for others to admit feelings they had long since given up on acting upon. Sakura, for example, had finally confessed her long held crush to Kaze, who, as it so happened, reciprocated her feelings. Takumi and Azura, at some point, admitted their feelings to each other and another wedding for “morale’s sake” was being planned at Ryoma’s insistence. It didn’t extend to just the royals, however, Hana had found herself a taste for kitsune in Kaden, and Azama had accompanied Rinkah to the Flame Tribe only to come back married to her.

     Everyone had someone to come back to these days, and Corrin felt it was a wonderful thing. The bonds that everyone formed with each other were a remarkable and powerful force, and it was probably silly to think so, but she really thought in the end it contributed to the successes of the army.

     On this particular sunny day, Corrin felt a spring in her step as she held in her arms a wrapped mackerel for Lilith. The sun was shining so beautifully in the astral plane that day, and apparently the fishery was doing very well. It seemed like the perfect time to visit her draconic friend with an offering of one her favorite snacks.

     As she usually did on such occasions, Corrin happily greeted the dragon, who greeted her back and then snacked on the offering. Lately, these days, the silver haired girl couldn’t help but notice that her bird-like friend had been behaving oddly. Even now, as Lilith chowed down upon the mackerel, Corrin noticed that the dragon kept furtively looking her direction. This wasn’t the first time either. This had gone on for at least a month, possibly more. All Corrin knew was that she had noticed a month ago.

     Normally, Lilith was happy to carry on a conversation afterwards without any more awkward staring, but today Lilith was silent after she had finished her fish. The princess couldn’t help but wonder if it had anything to do with why the dragon had been so persistently attempting to examine her.

     “Is something wrong, Lilith?”

     If the dragon was surprised by the question, she didn’t show it. Instead, her large eyes, so expressive with concern, looked directly into Corrin’s. “I feel like… I’m the one who should be asking that to you. Lady Corrin, how have you been feeling lately?”

     If she had to answer truthfully, at that very moment she had been feeling uneasy. That had more to do with Lilith’s line of questioning than anything else, however. “If I’m being honest, I feel perfectly well.”

     “You haven’t felt sick at all lately? Not a little bit fatigued?”

     Again, Corrin was beginning to feel more and more uneasy with the questions. Did she really look unwell? “No? I mean, not moreso than usual? After battles, of course, but outside of anything involving the war… as well as one can feel.” Honestly, she really had to reach to find anything at all that recalled might count as “out of the ordinary.” “I suppose heartburn has been more of an issue lately?”

     Lilith was silent, and that only served to make Corrin more anxious. “Lilith, please. Just… tell me what’s on your mind.”

     There was a pained expression upon the blue finned creature, but upon seeing the obvious worry Corrin wore, she finally said, “Lady Corrin… I believe you’re pregnant.”

     Several things went through Corrin’s mind at once. The first was panic, because if she was, then that was bad. Like, _really_ bad. But the second was how absurd it was. Of course she wasn’t. The third was that it had to be a very bad joke.

     With the initial scare worn off, the silver haired girl let out a sigh of relief and waved it off, “That’s absurd, Lilith. Saizo and I are very careful. I can’t possibly be pregnant.” And it was the truth. If there was one thing both she and her husband were adamant about, it’s that they would never dare risk the chance of having a child during wartime. Both of them were warriors, needed for battle. Neither of them had the time to even begin to raise a child, and Corrin certainly wasn’t going to spend nine months sedentary during this time. And even if both of them had been okay with this, the prospect of their child getting caught in this war? It was unthinkable. It’s why they had always been so careful. They had set certain rules, and they always carried through with said rules.

     But Lilith’s expression turned stern, “Then let me be more clear, Lady Corrin. I don’t believe you are pregnant. You _are_ pregnant.”

     It was like a slap in the face. And despite all Corrin’s absolute positivity that she could not possibly be pregnant, the firmness in which the dragon spoke made her doubt. She wanted to laugh it off, she really did, but she couldn’t find the strength to even fake a laugh. “Lilith… this joke isn’t funny…”

     The tone Lilith would respond in was quiet, but still firm. “I would never joke about this sort of thing, Milday.”

     Her hands shook as they came to rest upon her abdomen. She didn’t feel anything… Physically, nothing felt different. Her breasts didn’t ache, she had no sicknesses, or cravings, and she was even so fairly confident that her menstrual cycle was still intact… though the flow had been significantly lighter as of late… The mental dread began to set in. The words were barely able to form on her tongue, and when she did manage to speak them they were shaky, unsure things. “How can you know? How is it even possible for you to know?”

     Lilith neared, touching her forehead to Corrin’s in a means of attempted comfort. “I… I can’t tell you, Milday. But I can tell you that I’m not wrong.”

     But she had to be. She had to be wrong. There was no way. “I… I can’t be.” There was nothing… nothing inside her. Growing. No tiny baby that she now had to care for and protect.

     “Somehow it happened.” Lilith said, “Think Lady Corrin, there had to be a time where you weren’t as careful as you thought.”

     And Corrin racked her brain, desperately she tried to think of any such situation.

     And then she did.

     She remembered it with absolute clarity. How could she forget?

     Two months ago, they had been in the Nohrian wilds and were ambushed. A never ending swarm of Faceless had surrounded them; the only thing that had saved the army were the strategic use of Dragon Veins. All the royals had pooled together and used every Dragon Vein that they could in order to turn the terrain into a natural fortress that protected them from the constant barrage of Faceless. Unfortunately, there were so many of the undead monstrosities, their fortress was crumbling just as they had gotten it up. Faceless regularly trickled in, wrecking everything – meaning that opening a path into the astral plane was out of the question lest they lead that never ending hoard into their one safe space. It was easy to the see the enemy plan was to simply keep throwing opposition at them until they broke down from exhaustion and/or hunger.

     Faceless, however, were just the main brutal attackers. As they would find out later, there were archers scattered all around the woods. It made it extremely difficult to scout ahead with Pegasus riders, and it was to their good fortune that they had Scarlet on their side. While her wyvern mount was just as vulnerable to arrows as a Pegasi, she was familiar with Nohrian terrain and tactics. Thanks to her clever plans, they had managed to scout around the area enough to tell them how and why there were so many Faceless. Secluded in a forest encampment were dark mages, constantly summoning and producing their undead foes.

     It was at times like these that espionage was the best bet. And who better to commit espionage than shadows who weren’t supposed to exist.

     Even the recollection of it made Corrin nauseous from the sheer worry the situation had brought. How many soldiers had fallen? How many would continue to fall if they took inaction? The army was falling apart at the seams, their supply of rods, staves, and rations a concerning factor as their numbers dwindled. There was no denying what needed to be done. The morning the plan had been made, Saizo, Kaze, and Kagero were already prepared to leave the very same night.

     Naturally, all three of the ninjas made the standard farewells to those they cared for, just in case. And Corrin still remembered, embracing her husband tightly, wishing desperately that no harm would come to him. “You need to come back to me,” she had told him, “Safely. In one piece.”

     Saizo had brushed the hair from her face and let out a humorless chuckle, “Heh… Me, die? I refuse to surrender to death so easily.” And despite the lingering grim atmosphere, she couldn’t help but let out her own hollow laugh. What he’d said reminded her of the very confidence that had caused her to love him at their first meeting on opposite sides of the battlefield. But the levity didn’t last; the time for their farewell was short, after all. Before they parted, he held her tightly again. “Listen… now that I’ve got you, I couldn’t go on without you. Don’t you die on me.”

     Had she not used up all of sullen laughs, she might have let out another one. Leave it to him going on the more dangerous mission to warn her not to die. “I won’t.” She had promised.

     And then, all the ninjas had left into the Nohrian brush.

     The Faceless kept coming until midnight. The army remained where it was in their Dragon Vein fortress, Corrin unwilling to have Lilith open the tear to the astral plane until there was confirmation that no more Faceless would arrive. Regular watches were kept around the perimeter.

     Corrin and Sakura stayed near to where they had seen the ninjas vanish into the wilderness. The sisters held tightly to each other’s hands as they waited for their ninja lovers to reappear. Ryoma would later join them, Corrin with the sneaking suspicion that their elder brother cared for Kagero more than he likely realized.

     A thrill of hope had raced as two of the three ninjas appeared. Kaze and Kagero, looking worse for wear but otherwise fine, had returned. Sakura was quick to rush to Kaze’s side, while Kagero was quick to offer a polite bow to Ryoma as thanks for awaiting her return. Kaze was the one, however, to tell Corrin that they had lost sight of Saizo on the escape. While their mission had been a success, it appeared the enemy encampment had the assistance of renegade Mokushu ninja. Saizo, ever the dutiful man that he was, provided a distraction for other two ninja to take their leave.

     Little by little, Corrin sent the army back to the astral plane for well-earned rest. But she stayed behind as long as she could. She waited until Lilith insisted she go into the astral plane. And even then Corrin stubbornly resisted, until the combined arguments from Lilith, Azura, Jakob, and Felicia that she needed her rest beat her down to submission. And even then, the silver haired Hoshidan princess refused to budge until she had Lilith’s word that she would await Saizo, and only then did she grudgingly agree.

     She had returned to her room. To _their_ room. And without knowing where Saizo was and if he was safe, it suddenly seemed far less inviting than it was. Fear had welled up in her, terrified that, despite his promise, he wouldn’t come back. Corrin had recalled the whistle he had given her the night they married. She had grabbed it, and blew on it. No sound she could hear emitted from it, but she knew that wherever he was, he would hear it. He said once he heard it, he would come to her side as quick as she was able. And every time she blew on the whistle, she looked to the door expectantly.

     It was an exercise in misery. He did not come through the door. Corrin had attempted to get the rest that her friends, family, and retainers so desperately wanted her to get. But even wrapped in her blankets, sleep never came. How could it come when she was so racked with worry? Her eyes always wandered to the door.

     So when the door had finally opened, she sat up quickly, wondering if she had been seeing things. But she hadn’t been. Saizo had come through the door, looking fatigued and ragged. Her eyes met his one, and she had wasted no time in throwing herself at him.

     Both exhausted and mentally drained, they merely stood in each other’s embrace at first. No words were spoken at all, the comfort of the other’s presence already speaking volumes enough for the trials they had faced that day. When they had dared to part, Corrin was quick to close the distance again with a kiss. And that was what had done it.

     Despite the fatigue, the tiredness, that one kiss had stirred something in couple. The carnal need that came over any animal in times of hardship and duress. That touch of the lips quickly became deep and needy, and thought was no longer needed. Corrin and Saizo ran on pure instinct, the passion of the moment; rough and slow, savoring each moment so that they could simply _feel_ each other, to overcome the fear of the potential loss they could have suffered.

     And as Corrin recalled that night, a night she had acknowledged as one of extreme passion and fear, she knew that neither one of them had been careful. It had been the furthest thing from their minds.

     The Hoshidan princess now felt more than dread at the memory. As her shaking hands rested on her belly, one emotion overshadowed everything else:

     Fear.

     It wasn’t just her hands that were shaking. Her whole body was shaking. All at the realization that Lilith wasn’t wrong.

     “Oh, Lady Corrin…”

     “L-Lilith…” Corrin’s eyes were focused on her belly, where her hands suddenly refused to leave. What were her hands doing? Were they attempting to feel that little life inside of her? Were they trying to protect it? Or were they trying to destroy it? At that moment, her mind shattered. Rational thought was no longer a functional process. Tears sprung and trailed down her face, nothing able to stop their falling.

     “L-Lilith, I… Oh gods, Lilith… Lilith what… _what do I do_?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> APPARENTLY KNOWING THERE'S A HURRICANE LOOMING OVER ME MAKES ME VERY PRODUCTIVE. Especially when my power did legit go out for a few minutes and I told myself OH SHIITAKE BETTER KICK THIS INTO GEAR. 
> 
> There's a lot I actually really do want to talk about this chapter, but I won't, mostly because it's better to cover it in later chapters as the subjects actually come up. This one was mostly set-up to the next "arc" of the story, which is "having babies at the worst possible time lol." I always kind of imagined that not a single one of the parents in the games ever WANTED to have kids when they did. But shit happens. And these last chapters are meant to explore that panic and how these characters, at least the way I see them, deal with that panic. As such, things may be a little... controversial... next chapter. And in that case, I will do an author's note at the beginning of the next chapter, whenever that may be provided Irma doesnt knock my power out for WEEKS, to warn people in case they don't want to get political. And with that out of the way, I conclude this chapter guys. See you when I see you - which will hopefully be sooner rather than later!


	13. Choices

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo, so this chapter contains talk of abortion. Let me clear and do a disclaimer here: my thoughts and feelings on that subject are NOT reflected in this chapter. I'm just writing a story here. If you feel uncomfortable with the subject matter, then I advise you to NOT READ THIS CHAPTER.

     Saizo had heard it as clear as if it had been right next to him: the sound of a whistle tuned so that only he could hear it. He pardoned himself away from the conversation he had been having with Kaze, and then followed its sound. As he had promised Corrin, the moment he heard it, he would be at her side as soon as he was able. And he hated the idea of having to keep her waiting as he had unintentionally done last time. The mere memory of her worried expression was enough to quicken his pace.

     The sound of the whistle was easy to follow, Corrin was in their room. Anxiety welled within him as he opened the door and saw his wife sitting on the edge of their bed, pale and clearly distraught. Immediately, he went to her, “Corrin, what happened?”

     Despite the fact that she had called for him with the whistle, his voice was what had snapped her to attention. The princess had been caught up in her own thoughts, desperately wondering how she could tell him. And as she looked at him then, seeing the genuine alarm in his expression, the knots in her stomach tightened. Any carefully planned words and build up she had to this dreaded conversation suddenly disappeared. “I-I’m pregnant.”

     Utter silence fell as the weight of the words settled on Saizo; as he realized why she had been so distressed. He searched her face for any signs of this being a terrible joke, but he already knew she would be incapable of such a thing regarding this subject. Corrin could never fake such an abject expression of upset. And it only kick started a deluge of thoughts.

     How? Well, he _knew_ how. They were a newly married couple… and quite an active couple. But they were careful… Until he noticed his wife fumbling with the whistle in her hands, and he recalled the last time she had used the whistle, easily able to recollect that night since her use of it earlier had prompted his worry now. In his mind he cursed his carelessness, but… Certainly it was still too early to tell?

     “How do you know?” He asked, surprised at how hollow his own tone rang.

     “Lilith.” Corrin could barely manage above a whisper. “She… she said that she couldn’t tell me how she knew exactly but… it was a dragon thing.” It sounded absolutely outrageous, that Lilith had given her such a simple and uninformative “clarification” on her surety of it. But she believed it.

     Saizo did too. Defeated, he sat next to Corrin, brow deeply furrowed in thought. The girl took her husband’s hand in her own and scooted closer to him, allowing her head to rest on his shoulder. How did they address their options? In any other situation, this should have been a happy moment. A husband and wife, excitedly planning to welcome a child into their lives. But now, in the midst of a war, with the end still seemingly so far off, it hung in the air like a dark miasma. Battle, treachery, and blood were all that they could see: risks too great for child rearing.

     When the silence eventually broke, it seemed like hours had passed. In actuality, it had only been moments, but both had agreed that their best option was to consult family.

     Kaze, having been nearby due to being Corrin’s retainer, was the first to hear of it. The green haired ninja, ever more optimistic than his brother, gave them sincere congratulations, even though his eyes reflected the sadness the couple felt. When Corrin asked his opinion on what they should do, he politely refused to offer any advice, saying it was not his place to. But he echoed their dreaded thoughts: consult Corrin’s family.

     And it was with heavy apprehension that Corrin asked Kaze to gather her siblings together.

     The mood, of course, did not quite improve upon the announcement. Azura and Sakura had been the ones to offer congratulations in much the same manner Kaze had, sincere attempts at support with a lingering sense of gloom. Ryoma, Takumi, and Hinoka, however, were quiet. Takumi held a white knuckle grasp above his knees, clearly distressed by the news but unsure of what to say or do. Hinoka had the grim-set look of knowing exactly what she wanted to say but also seemed conflicted, as if she wasn’t entirely comfortable with the notion she was going to suggest herself. And then there was Ryoma, calm and composed with his eyes closed, rationally going through every course of action that could be taken in his mind as a king would think of it, not as a brother.

     And sure enough, Hoshido’s future king was the one to speak first. “While this is glad news, it is also troubling. The army isn’t equipped for children, nor is having one of our commanders out of the field a convenience. I hate to word it so harshly but… this is probably the worst timing for a happy accident such as this.”

     “If I may…” Hinoka took the time to interject. Everyone looked to the oldest princess of Hoshido as she walked to her silver haired sister, and then took Corrin’s hands into her own.

     While the atmosphere in the room had been grim before, it seemed to have gone cold as well. Sakura began, “Please, Hinoka, is that rea-”

     “She has to know.” The elder sister’s words pierced the air, “And I expect that Saizo feels she should know it as well.”

     Confused, Corrin looked to her husband. And even though he was wearing the mask he so often wore, she could still recognize that certain set of his jaw, the strain in his expression when he wanted to say something but felt he was in no position to do so. But he did nod in his agreement, and Corrin couldn’t help but look from her husband to her older sister in apprehension. “What… do I need to know…?”

     “In times such as these, where a pregnancy might be deemed… inconvenient…” Hinoka’s grip upon her sister’s hands tightened, clearly at odds with herself, “Abortion is considered a valid option in Hoshido.”

     Time stopped then, as Corrin heard that first word. Abortion. Termination of pregnancy.

     The grip upon her hands that was meant to be of comfort became cold, and the silver haired girl automatically retracted her hands from Hinoka’s. Perhaps it was the sensibilities instilled within her from her being raised in a foreign land, but in Nohr, termination of pregnancy was unthinkable. It was, perhaps, one of the reasons that there had been such infighting between all of Garon’s concubines and the idea of their children becoming successors to the throne. Even the concubines who never wanted to have children had no choice but to bear their children. She didn’t know the reasons why Nohr had this emphasis on carrying children to term under any circumstance, especially considering the lack of resources in the country; she just knew that the sensibility of an abortion being unthinkable had been beaten into her brain. And while they were in no such situation for a pregnancy, Corrin’s mind had already shut down the notion of it.

     … Or had it?

     Corrin recalled when Lilith had first told her of her pregnancy. Of how she rested her hands upon her abdomen, and in her she could picture herself ripping open her own body to be rid of… _it_. Not him, or her – _it_. While the idea of it horrified her, clearly she had been considering it. It was all well and good to think “I couldn’t possibly” when you weren’t the one in such a situation, but now that she was in it…

     The turmoil in her mind must have shown. A comforting hand upon her shoulder snapped her out of her thoughts, following it up to see her husband looking at her with concern. The sight of him, the reminder that Saizo was there for her, relaxed her. Her hand reached up to rest upon his own, a small smile a sign of her thanks to him for bringing her back to some level of calm.

     Corrin then looked back to her siblings, and Ryoma said “This is indeed a complicated matter, and certainly a decision shouldn’t be made immediately. There is much to think about, and no matter what decision you come up with, every one of us will be sure to see that accommodations are made.” Whereas before, he had spoken like the future king of Hoshido that he was destined to be, now he spoke with the voice of a brother and friend, his expression tranquil and kind. “The decision is ultimately up to the both of you, and I have every confidence that no matter the choice, it shall be the right one.”

     “Thank you, brother…”

     “Thank you, Lord Ryoma.” She felt his hand, still overlapped on hers, tighten slightly.

     As the afternoon went on, Corrin and Saizo retreated out of the sight of those they had consulted. Even the couple did not speak much to each other beyond pleasantries, both their thoughts heavy as they considered their circumstances. An actual conversation did not occur until evening drew to a close in their room. It was short, both of them confirming that they were just as concerned and confused as they were earlier in the day.

     They both slept uneasily, but for Saizo, even that sleep didn’t last. He awoke in a cold sweat, but not in a panic; just a dread. The ninja sat himself up carefully in order to not disturb his wife, and attempted to resituate the chaos in his mind. He kept his gaze upon his wife’s sleeping form and listened to the rhythmic sound of her soft breathing, letting it calm him. Corrin had seemed to do a good job of that: calm him. He hadn’t noticed it himself until Kaze had mentioned that married life had seemed cool his temper.

     Perhaps that’s why the worry never seemed to abate. Because even though the sound of his wife’s sleepy breathing did manage to calm him, it did not lessen his apprehension. As his eye managed to catch the details of her face in slumber, the anxiety actually increased. Corrin was a woman who would sleep and always look like she enjoyed it, her expression at rest always being a serene smile. But now her sleeping face seemed scrunched, with her eyebrows pitched upwards ever so slightly in uneasiness. The dreams she had were clearly of the same variety that had woken him moments ago.

     Unpleasant dreams were a part of the norm when one fought in a war. The constant fighting, destruction, and death always took a toll upon a person. It varied, of course, not everyone reacted the same. Saizo gave off the impression of a man who was not bothered by any actions he had to take to get his jobs done. Indeed, he’d been doing it for so long, there was some level of disassociation involved whenever he carried out one of those “sordid” tasks that Lord Ryoma hated to bring upon him, and he could even acknowledge that he took a sick pleasure from knowing any such job was completed. But he was still human, and some things would always haunt him. The whole Duke Pohl debacle was one such example: going behind Nohrian borders to kill one man, and in vengeance that man’s family had countered with the killing of the contractor. And then Saizo was contracted to take care of the rest of the Pohls, even the ones with no knowledge of the assassination plot. _All of them._ And he’d done it. Without hesitation, unblinkingly. He would live with that blood on his hands for the rest of his life. And that was fine.

     What was not fine was the idea of the blood of his own family upon his hands. Those were the dreams that had woken him. Pictures in his head of Corrin and their child suffering gruesome fates in the war; of a failure to protect them. Unpleasant dreams were normal. He expected them. These, however, weren’t just unpleasant. They were _nightmares_. And as much as Saizo told himself that they were mere fiction, nightmares had a habit of feeling intensely real.

     Saizo hoped that her dreams were not nearly so disturbing. He caressed the side of her face, fingers getting caught in some of her silvery locks. Corrin stirred slightly, but never woke. It brought him some degree of renewed comfort to see her expression soften from worry to some sort of contentment. His own concerns and worries seemed so small compared to hers. When she had told him of the pregnancy that very day he wasn’t sure he’d ever seen her look as small and timid as she did. Even the first time they had ever met, or the time he had threatened her at Shirasagi, she had always stepped up and stamped that foot of hers in challenge. But not this time. This time she was terrified in a way she didn’t know how to handle, and certainly in a way he didn’t know how to handle either. It was a completely new level of fear.

     While his mind was nowhere near settled, Saizo laid back down, close to his wife. Somehow, he had managed to return to an uneasy sleep and maintain it.

* * *

 

      As the days passed by, Corrin and Saizo were no closer to a decision. They had spoken briefly about the possibility of termination, but Corrin quickly found that she had a difficult time attempting to discuss it in any sort of detail. Her Nohrian upbringing made it difficult to stomach the thought of it, and as much as she hated it, she told Saizo that she needed to think about it by herself before she could honestly truly consider it. It was not a pleasant conversation by any means; tensions were high on both their sides, and it resulted in a bit of a spat because of what Saizo perceived as an unwillingness to discuss all options before them. But even when things calmed, she still found herself unable to really speak of it. In the end, Corrin had concluded that she needed to see what was involved before she could consider it.

     She spoke to Sakura and Azama about the spiritual side of things. Neither really had too much experience in the area, but as she understood it, the unborn child would be recorded in the death registry, to have respects paid to him or her within a home shrine. Truthfully, it didn’t make Corrin more sympathetic to the option. It just made her feel like her child would be yet another victim of this war, dead by her own hands. 

     But even worse was that the line of questioning she had for the army’s spiritual attendants had been overheard. It started out as a trickle at first, with first Orochi approaching her offering to create a maternity charm for her. The silver haired princess, in a flustered mess, hastily declined, saying nothing had been decided yet while she asked for the fortune teller’s discretion. And while Orochi did promise it and Corrin completely believed her when she said she wouldn’t speak a word of it, the news had already spread. Jakob had been quick to step in on her behalf and shoo people away from her, and it was at moments like these she really was eternally grateful the butler was a prickly, overprotective sort.

     When she returned to Saizo that evening, apparently he had been similarly approached by other members of the camp seeking confirmation of their… news. Obviously, he was not open with the information. Neither dwelled on how the information spread; they both knew that at some point, everyone would find out. There had just been the vague hope that it would be later rather than sooner.

     There truly was no real peace after that. In the days that followed, members of the army approached her. They were well-meaning of course, but everyone had their own opinions and assumptions. Hayato, for example, liked the idea of no longer being the youngest within their camp, while Kaden was happily offering advice on how kitsune raised their children. Luckily, Hana had been there to drive him off and apologize on behalf of her husband’s excitability, but offered her own opinion that perhaps it was better to terminate. Most everyone who knew that Saizo and Corrin were considering all options before them had some sort of opinion on the matter, most of which Corrin didn’t solicit and only served to make her more unsure.

     The one that had truly confused and horrified her, however, was Rinkah. Corrin had managed to find some peace by the spring in the astral plane when the oni savage had passed by. The woman of the flame tribe approached the Hoshidan princess with her normal gruffness, but this time looked her up and down. Corrin did her best to try and pretend like she hadn’t noticed her, but since they were the only two currently there it was rather difficult to keep it up.

     But as she always did, Rinkah cut straight to the point, “I hear you’re with child.”

     Uncomfortably, she shifted in her spot. Corrin debated whether or not to pull something like her husband would, which is to say, ignore the annoyance and find a quick exit. But she was no ninja and couldn’t bleed into the shadows. “Rinkah… I don’t wish to speak of it.”

     “Hoshidans do have a habit of never keeping quiet,” the Flame Tribeswoman nodded, “Always so boisterous, it’s not surprising that even the most private of news would spread like wildfire.” Corrin said nothing and hoped her lack of eye contact would send the woman off. But Rinkah remained, likely with full knowledge that her presence was not wanted. “I simply wanted to tell you to dismiss any thoughts in your mind about this abortion business. In the Flame tribe, a warrior is no less of a warrior because she may be carrying. The greatest honor a female warrior can have is a battleborn child.”

     At that, Corrin couldn’t help but look Rinkah’s direction, not sure she heard correctly. “Battle… born?”

     The oni savage had a look of pride upon her as she nodded, “Yes, battleborn. It’s exactly what it sounds like, a child born in battle. In the Flame Tribe, a warrior never stops what they do, and having a child amidst the chaos of the battlefield is considered an omen of a great warrior to come.”

     While Rinkah spoke with such alacrity, Corrin found herself feeling sick. It was nothing against the tradition of the Flame Tribe or their beliefs, but rather the picture painted within the dragon girl’s own mind. She had been so concerned with the before and after, she had never actually considered the process of birthing the child. She had heard stories of women prematurely birthing in times of stress. And pregnant? In the battlefield? She felt queasy just thinking of it.

     Quietly she excused herself from Rinkah’s presence and hastily took her leave, any sort of calm she found now thoroughly extinguished. But she didn’t know where to go, because no matter where she went, she couldn’t escape the chaos of her mind. Upset no doubt clearly upon her face, she had just let her feet move, her eyes focused on the ground before her rather than facing straight ahead. Thoughts had charged through head at a mile minute, and she hadn’t even noticed someone calling her in her attempt to get away.

     “…-rin… Corrin!”

     She felt a familiar hand grasp her arm and she looked to Saizo in surprise. The concern he wore had barely registered; she only recognized the safety he presented. Without any sort of care for where she was, just knowing that he was there, the thread that had been holding her together finally snapped. The tears and cries she had suppressed came through; she was barely able to even hold herself up, only managing to keep upon her feet because Saizo had caught her before she stumbled.

     The ninja didn’t dare try to move his wife anywhere else. He simply held her right and close, allowing her wails to ring through. No doubt Corrin’s outburst was attracting attention, but he didn’t care, nor did he need to worry. He may not have gotten along well with Jakob, but when it came to his Lady, he was quick to ensure she was attended to. In this case, the butler was shooing away anyone passing by the plaza of the astral plane where Corrin broke down in her husband’s arms, threatening violence upon anyone who dared to linger to try and catch the scene. Honestly, he would have done the same thing. But at this moment, Corrin needed him more than she needed him yelling at others to give them their space.

     She wailed for a little while longer, with Saizo making no attempt to stop her. He didn’t even ask what was wrong, because he knew what it was. The same thoughts that had been gnawing at the both of them these past few days. And it pained him to see how careless he had been in not recognizing just how torn Corrin was about… the baby. And sure enough, when words managed to find their way to his wife, she wept, “I-it’s a baby, Saizo! _Our_ b-baby! I-I d-don’t want _our_ baby to die! N-not now, now during, not after!”

     Immediately he tensed, but he still held her close, if not closer. Racking sobs escaped her before she continued on, “I… I don’t want to, but… b-but how can we? N-no matter how much I think on it, w-we can’t… It’s far too dangerous.”

     And she was absolutely right. It was why he had wanted to speak to her again about the grimmer of their immediate options. To get her to honestly consider it. Before anything, they were soldiers in a war. As sad as it was, that’s why, despite his own conflict, he was willing to accept such an outcome. But he was a ninja, born and raised in Hoshido. The idea of pregnancy termination was not a horrid thing to him. Corrin, however, was raised in Nohr – their values were still instilled within her, a part of her; it was outrageous to think of it, but perhaps those different sensibilities also contributed to how much he loved this woman in his arms.

     That was when it hit him. This woman that he adored so much, a leader of their army, a dragon of righteous fury, and pursuer of peace had immediately added the title of “mother” to that list the moment she had found out of her pregnancy. To say she had ceased to become a warrior was incorrect, she still very much was one, but “mother” had taken priority over it. And not only was she a mother, but she was the mother of _his_ child.

     A memory of a time long passed flashed within his mind. Of a time when he was a boy with his own father.

     Father had cancelled his training that day. He had told him that he was going to teach him one of the most important lessons a ninja could possibly learn. But the Fifth did not understand the actions of the Fourth. His father was just taking him on a walk through Igasato, greeting everyone they passed. Naturally, the son followed suit of his father, and this continued all the way until they made it back to their home within the village. By the time they had returned it was mid-afternoon, and both the Fourth and the Fifth could hear Mother and Kaze talking about how well the harvest was likely to come in.

     His father, with a light in his eyes as he looked out upon the village asked, “Saizo, do you know what’s most important to me?”

     “Our duty as ninjas of Igasato.” He had responded confidently.

     “Wrong!” His father barked out a laugh. The Fifth was genuinely taken aback. “Haha, your dedication is truly worthy of the Saizo name, my son. But as important as our honor, duty, and traditions as ninja are, we’d be nothing without this.” He spread out his arms, gesturing the village ahead.

     “… I don’t understand, Father.”

     “The clan. Our family. Your brother. Your mother.” The Fourth’s words were filled with conviction. He looked down to his son, a gentle smile upon his face, “Without them, our traditions mean nothing. We can’t pass down duty. The clan, our sense of honor, the family – that is the most important thing to a ninja. Duty can only take me so far, but knowing that your mother is waiting for me makes it all the more meaningful.”

     But the young ninja was still confused. “But Father… if you were to choose between duty and Mo-”

     “Your mother.” The Fourth answered immediately and seriously. “Every single time. There are always opportunities for work in the ninja world. Where there are those who require espionage, assassination, and discretion, there will always be a place for us. It can be replaced. But I can never replace your mother.”

     Saizo had not understood this. Not until that moment. Not until his wife was sobbing in his arms over the mortality of their child.

     “We’ll find a way…” he felt like he was about to choke on his words. How could he say such a thing if he was so unsure about it himself? But he hated to see her like this, so terrified and unsure; and he hated even more that he couldn’t actually do anything about it.

     Doubt was far too rampant in Corrin’s mind, however. She had managed to bring herself to look up to his eye and attempted to search his expression to see if he really meant it. It was easy for her to see that he was just as unsure as she was, but she asked anyways, “ _How_?”

     An answer, however, came from an unexpected source.

     “Ah, Lady Corrin…” the voice of Lilith caught their attention, and the couple looked over to see the dragon floating towards them (with a rather irked looking Jakob not too far off). “I think… I think I may have a solution… It is not perfect but…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, this chapter was hellish for me to write because the subject matter makes me nervous and highly uncomfortable. It's highly political territory and I DON'T TALK POLITICS. EVER. As such, some parts of this chapter may seem rushed, but I really didn't want to dwell because of how uncomfortable it made me feel (yet this is still one of the longest chapters in this story, rip). But when it comes down to it, I'm writing a story. When people get pregnant when they shouldn't they need to look at all their options: that is all I am presenting in this story. I also thought it would be interesting to add a West vs. East dynamic here in Nohrian vs. Hoshidan custom, or how I would perceive them to be. If we take Nohr as your standard typical Western faire, likely rooted in some sort of Christian base, abortion is a definite NO. While Hoshido, clearly fantasy Japan, would perceive abortion as probably the most common form of birth control (it actually is in Japan; Japan has no formal sexual education so condoms and birth control pills aren't in wide usage as compared to western nations). I am, by no means, judging or saying "this is right" or "this is wrong." Whatever your opinions on the subject, however, we all know how this particular story will end. I'm just trying to create a narrative in which I can make an excuse for the justification of the hyperbolic baby chambers. >>
> 
> On a completely different note, I have to say I enjoy writing for the Birthright route because it lets me write all about the goodies I learn in the graduate classes I take. It goes to show why my next story is making me scratch my head a bit in how to write things properly... That said, this chapter also marks how close we are to the very end of this story! For a long time I've been saying 15 CHAPTERS, JUST 15. But it actually may be 14. As I looked over my outline, I realized that 15 has the possibility of being absurdly short. So Ill be writing out both chapters and making a judgement call based from that. So it may end next chapter, it may end at the appointed 15. Whatever the case, thank you all for sticking with me. And again thank you all for your well wishes as I dealt with Hurricane Irma! It really did mean a lot, and my family and I are all okay. :3


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